What Environmental Clean Technologies does

Environmental Clean Technologies Limited (ECT, ASX:ECT) is a small, publicly traded Australian clean-technology developer headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, that structures and executes licensing partnerships around a portfolio of patented industrial platforms rather than operating production assets at scale. Its technology stack is built on the COLDry low-temperature (<40°C) brown coal drying process, which serves as the manufacturing backbone for downstream modules including COLDry Fertiliser (a lignite-urea slow-release fertiliser commercialised via the Zero Quest joint venture with ESG Agriculture), COHgen (lignite-syngas-to-hydrogen), the HydroMOR low-emission ironmaking process, and the CDP-WTE waste-to-energy module at Bacchus Marsh.

ECT's primary revenue mechanics today are small-tonnage direct product sales (COLDry solid fuel to industrial customers such as AKD Softwoods and first batches of COLDry Fertiliser to Australian growers and agronomists) supplemented by an explicit ambition to grow through licensing royalties on its IP, particularly its exclusive licence to Rice University's Flash Joule Heating (FJH) technology (secured via the December 2025 acquisition of Terrajoule Pty Ltd) and its proprietary Rapid Electrothermal Mineralisation (REM) platform, both targeting PFAS-contaminated soils and adsorbents in the US market. Geographically the company operates across Australia (Victoria), India (Coldry-Matmor R&D project with NLC India and NMDC at Neyveli), and the United States (initial PFAS remediation push, supported by an OTCQB listing from June 2026). Customer base is concentrated and early-stage, with the company funding commercialisation primarily through recurring equity placements and prior convertible-note facilities.

Name

Environmental Clean Technologies

Legal name

Environmental Clean Technologies Limited

Website

https://ectltd.com.au

Company type

Public

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Environmental Clean Technologies (ASX:ECT) is a small Australian public clean-technology developer that licenses a portfolio of patented industrial platforms — COLDry low-temperature coal drying, COLDry Fertiliser, FJH and REM PFAS remediation, COHgen hydrogen, HydroMOR ironmaking, and CDP-WTE — to industrial customers and partners in Australia, India, and the US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Clean Technology (lignite upgrading and PFAS remediation)

NAICS

Solid Waste Combustors and Incinerators (562213)

SIC

Industrial Process Furnaces & Ovens (3567)

akta.pro primary industry

High-Temperature Incineration & Thermal Destruction (Rotary Kiln, Cement Kiln, Thermal Oxidation) (EUAIAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hazardous & Medical Waste Incineration (Specialty Thermal Treatment) (EUAAAKAD), Industrial & Commercial Waste Incineration (Non-hazardous) (EUAAAKAC), WtE Plant Development, EPC & O&M Services (Project delivery and operations) (EUAAAKAK), Emissions Controls & Environmental Retrofit Services (SCR/FGD/ESP, CEMS) (EUAEALAL)

Keywords

• Clean coal technology
• PFAS remediation systems
• Lignite upgrading
• Low-emission fertiliser
• Ironmaking technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Licensing partnerships: ECT explicitly states its ambition to grow as a developer of innovative patented IP by structuring and executing licensing partnerships, providing the expertise, infrastructure, and capital pathways needed to unlock large-scale cross-industry applications. The company holds an exclusive licence from Rice University for Flash Joule Heating technology to remediate PFAS- and heavy metal-contaminated soils.
2. COLDry Fertiliser product sales: Direct commercial sales of COLDry Fertiliser from ECT's Bacchus Marsh facility using Victorian lignite, sold like urea to growers and agronomists in Australian agriculture. Stated scaling target of 30,000 to 50,000+ tonnes per year.
3. COLDry solid fuel sales (early commercial): Small-tonnage commercial sales of Coldry solid fuel from the Bacchus Marsh high-volume test facility to industrial customers (e.g., AKD Softwoods) as a cost-effective alternative to high-priced gas for process heat generation.
4. Capital raising (placements): Recurring equity capital raisings to fund commercialisation, including a $3.25 million placement completed in late 2025 and prior convertible-note and equity-line facilities (Pacific Capital, Fortrend, Monash Capital Group).

Go-to-market motion4 records

Core offering

Environmental Clean Technologies (ECT) develops and licenses a portfolio of patented low-emission industrial technologies anchored by the COLDry low-temperature brown-coal drying platform, with applications spanning a lignite-urea slow-release fertiliser (COLDry Fertiliser), Flash Joule Heating (FJH) and Rapid Electrothermal Mineralisation (REM) for PFAS remediation, HydroMOR low-emission ironmaking, COHgen hydrogen generation, and CDP-WTE end-of-life tyre resource recovery. The company monetises primarily through licensing partnerships of its patented IP and direct sales of COLDry Fertiliser and COLDry solid fuel from its Bacchus Marsh facility.

Product overview

Environmental Clean Technologies (ECT, ASX:ECT) develops and licenses a portfolio of patented, high-impact industrial technologies anchored by the Coldry low-temperature brown coal drying platform. The portfolio is structured as a platform-plus-modules architecture: COLDry is the foundational process that enables downstream applications including the COLDry Fertiliser product (lignite-urea blended fertiliser commercialised via the Zero Quest JV with ESG Agriculture) and COHgen (lignite syngas-to-hydrogen). ECT's environmental remediation platform is led by the Flash Joule Heating (FJH) technology licensed from Rice University (via the Terrajoule acquisition), which together with the Rapid Electrothermal Mineralisation (REM) technology targets PFAS- and heavy metal-contaminated soils and adsorbents. HydroMOR (also known as Matmor) provides a low-emission iron and steel making application, while CDP-WTE extends the Coldry Demonstration Plant platform to end-of-life tyre resource recovery. ECT pursues a licensing-led commercialisation model targeting the multi-billion dollar PFAS remediation market (initially the US) and Australian / Indian lignite value-add applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• COLDry: ECT's patented low-temperature (<40°C) drying process for upgrading Victorian brown coal into a stable, granulated black coal substitute, also the basis for COLDry Fertiliser (lignite-urea slow-release fertiliser developed via the Zero Quest joint venture with ESG Agriculture).

Products and services

• COLDry (Low-Temperature Brown Coal Drying) Patented COLDry process licensable to industrial users to upgrade lignite to a black-coal substitute for HELE power generation and as a feedstock for downstream products such as COLDry Fertiliser. Customers are utilities, power generators and industrial off-takers.
• COLDry Fertiliser Carbon-rich slow-release nitrogen fertiliser blending lignite with urea, dried at <40°C to preserve nitrogen. Sold to growers and agronomists in Australian agriculture as a lower-cost alternative to urea, with claimed 64% N2O emission reduction, 59% less nitrogen leaching, 23% crop yield uplift and 21% nitrogen uptake improvement.
• Rapid Electrothermal Mineralisation (REM) Proprietary PFAS remediation technology offered to environmental remediation buyers via licensing. Uses high-voltage electric pulses to permanently destroy PFAS in contaminated soils, providing a scalable, on-site alternative to incineration.
• Flash Joule Heating (FJH) Platform Licensed Flash Joule Heating platform offering on-site destruction of PFAS in contaminated soils and on adsorbents such as granular activated carbon. Sold via licensing to environmental remediation contractors, US federal/state agencies (EPA, DoD) and industrial site owners as a cost-effective alternative to incineration.
• COHgen (Lignite Syngas-to-Hydrogen) Hydrogen generation technology offered to clean-energy project developers and utilities via licensing and joint development. Converts lignite syngas into hydrogen and low-emission electricity, demonstrated under the GrapheneX JV.
• HydroMOR (Matmor) Low-Emission Ironmaking Low-emission ironmaking process offered via licensing to integrated steel manufacturers. Uses brown coal (lignite) as reductant to produce low-carbon steel feedstock, with claimed capex less than half of traditional blast furnaces and elimination of coking ovens and sinter plants.
• CDP-WTE (End-of-Life Tyre Resource Recovery) End-of-life tyre resource recovery module developed under MoU with GDT at the Bacchus Marsh site, leveraging the Coldry Demonstration Plant platform for tyre-derived fuel processing. Sold via partnership/JV to waste management and resource recovery buyers.

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• ResourceCo: ResourceCo is an Australian resource recovery and waste-to-energy operator that processes end-of-life tyres and other industrial waste streams. Directly comparable to ECT's CDP-WTE platform and Australian waste-to-energy focus.

Emerging players

• Regenesis: Regenesis is a US-based environmental remediation technology company developing in-situ treatment products for contaminated soil and groundwater. Adjacent PFAS/environmental remediation peer with a comparable licensing-led commercialisation approach.
• Aquagga: Aquagga is an early-stage US company developing hydrothermal alkaline treatment (HALT) for PFAS destruction in concentrated waste streams — a thermal/chemical technology directly comparable in application to ECT's FJH and REM platforms.

Broad incumbents

• EnergySolutions: EnergySolutions operates large-scale hazardous and radioactive waste processing facilities in the US, including PFAS treatment capabilities. A broad-incumbent waste services peer with overlapping end customers for ECT's PFAS remediation offering.
• Battelle: Battelle operates one of the world's largest independent R&D organisations and has commercialised its own PFAS thermal destruction systems (e.g., PyreMelt). Directly comparable as a science-anchored PFAS remediation technology developer and licensor.
• Clean Harbors: Clean Harbors is the largest US hazardous waste services provider with established PFAS disposal and incineration capabilities. While not a thermal PFAS technology developer, it is the dominant commercial incumbent ECT's licensing model would need to displace or partner with.
• Midrex Technologies: Midrex is the global leader in direct reduced iron (DRI) technology for low-emission ironmaking. The most relevant broad-incumbent peer for ECT's HydroMOR/Matmor lignite-based ironmaking platform.
• PeroxyChem (Evonik): PeroxyChem, now part of Evonik, supplied advanced oxidation chemistry used in PFAS and industrial wastewater treatment. A broad-incumbent reference point for technology-driven PFAS remediation at scale.

Direct peers

• 374Water: 374Water is a US-listed PFAS and wastewater treatment company using AirSCWO (supercritical water oxidation) — a high-temperature thermal destruction technology comparable to ECT's REM and FJH platforms. Targets the same US federal and industrial PFAS remediation customers.
• White Energy: White Energy developed binder-based coal upgrading technology for low-rank coals, directly comparable to ECT's COLDry low-temperature brown coal drying platform. Both target value-add applications for Victorian/similar lignite deposits.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Environmental Clean Technologies