What Water Future does

Water Future BV is a Dutch water-technology company founded in 2018 (with research roots dating to 2010) and headquartered in Dongen, Netherlands. The company develops electrically-driven membrane separation systems based on electrodialysis (ED) and capacitive electrodialysis / electrostatic desalination (CED) to selectively remove monovalent ions—primarily sodium—from process streams while retaining valuable nutrients. Core products include the EcoGreen (Nul Emissie) line for greenhouse horticulture with BZG certification, the RENCON method for concentrating manure into RENURE-classified fertilizer at approximately 3x conventional mineral concentrates, BMED systems for industrial acid/base regeneration, and electrostatic water softening for cooling-tower applications. Underlying technical differentiators are cheaper electrode materials, monovalent-selective membranes, and self-paying economics driven by resource recovery and claimed electricity savings of up to 250% versus conventional stacks.

The company serves B2B customers across three verticals: greenhouse horticulture (Dutch and Belgian growers and research stations including Van Gog Kwekerijen, Paprika Kas, Proefstation Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Life ACLIMA), livestock and manure processing (Merensteyn, Kovemi), and industrial sectors including pharmaceutical intermediates (Carbogen Amcis). Revenue is generated through direct sales of customized systems, components and stacks (membranes, electrodes), and feasibility-study services that often lead to project conversions. The company is founder-owned (CEO Willem van Baak, CTO Emad Khatibzadeh), operates with approximately 8-10 employees, and is funded primarily through Dutch/EU non-dilutive instruments—OPZuid/EFRO, RVO/MOOI, MIT Zuid, Provincie Noord-Brabant, Stimulus, and BOM—rather than traditional venture capital.

Growth is structurally tied to consortium-driven R&D partnerships with Wageningen University & Research, TNO, Universiteit Twente, Universiteit van Antwerpen, Colsen, GAFT, DENS, and Grass2Grit, and to regulatory tailwinds such as EU RENURE approval that materially expand the manure-recovery market. Channel expansion through Ridder for the NoNa+ greenhouse water-softening system and a 2025 platform extension into CO2-to-formic-acid chemistry (eCO2FORM) indicate the company is transitioning from project-pilot deployments toward a broader commercialization footprint, though recurring revenue and fleet-scale customers are not yet demonstrated.

Name

Water Future

Legal name

Water Future BV

Website

https://waterfuture.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Water Future BV is a Dutch water-technology company developing electrically-driven membrane separation systems (electrodialysis and capacitive electrodialysis) for sodium removal, manure nutrient recovery, and industrial acid/base regeneration, serving greenhouse, agricultural, and industrial customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Water Treatment

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Membranes, Consumables & Chemicals (Elements, Antiscalants, Cleaning) (EUANAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Treatment, Filtration & Recirculation (RO, UV, Sterilization) (AFAAAHAH), Advanced Treatment & Purification Utilities (MF/UF, RO, AOP, UV) (EUANAGAD), Water Reclamation & Reuse Production (Tertiary/Advanced Treatment) (EUANADAD), Industrial Water Reuse Utilities (ZLD/MLD & Process Water Recycling) (EUANAGAG), Irrigation, Fertigation & Nutrient Delivery Systems (Dosing, Injectors, Sensors) (AFAAAHAE)

Keywords

• Electrodialysis systems
• Membrane separation technology
• Water desalination equipment
• Circular water treatment
• RENURE fertilizer recovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Dongen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Water Purification Systems (EcoGreen, RENCON, BMED): Sale of complete water purification and circular economy systems for horticulture, livestock, and industrial applications. Systems are sized from small laboratory units to large pilot-scale installations.
2. ED Stack Components (Membranes, Spacers, Electrodes): Sale of electrodialysis stack components including homogeneous cation and anion membranes (low electrical resistance, wide pH range, low water permeability), bipolar membranes, spacers, end plates, and custom titanium electrodes with Ru-Ir oxide coating. Also supercapacitor electrodes for electrostatic desalination.
3. Feasibility Studies: Laboratory-scale desalination testing on customer water samples with full analysis. Provides technical and economic assessment (ROI, NPV, worse-expected-best case scenarios) before system purchase. Initial consultation is free; detailed study requires a nominal fee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Water Future designs, builds, and sells electrically driven membrane separation systems for water desalination, nutrient recovery, and acid/base regeneration. Its core offerings are the EcoGreen product line for zero-emission sodium and nitrate management in greenhouse horticulture, BMED-based acid-base regeneration systems for industrial wastewater, electrostatic water softening (CED) systems for cooling towers, and a feasibility study service that validates solutions through laboratory testing and economic analysis before system sale.

Product overview

Water Future offers a modular portfolio of electrically driven membrane separation technologies centered on electrodialysis (ED) and electrostatic desalination, with systems ranging from compact lab units to large-scale pilot installations. The product line includes the EcoGreen (Nul Emissie) product line — encompassing the EcoGreen Natriumfilter and EcoGreen Nitraatfilter — for zero-emission sodium and nitrate management in greenhouse horticulture, complemented by acid-base regeneration systems (BMED) for industrial applications, and a dedicated materials shop selling ED stacks, membranes, spacers, end plates, and electrodes. Core enabling technologies are Capacitieve Elektrodialyse (CED) / Elektrostatisch Ontzouting and Elektrochemisch Ontzouting (Elektrodialyse). A Feasibility Study service provides laboratory-scale testing and economic analysis (ROI/NPV) to validate solutions before full-scale deployment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EcoGreen: Product line for zero-emission water treatment in greenhouse horticulture, featuring selective sodium removal while retaining valuable nutrients like Ca, Mg, and SO4.
• RENCON
• NoNa+
• BioCatcher

Products and services

• EcoGreen (Nul Emissie) Product Line A product line for zero-emission water treatment in greenhouse horticulture, encompassing the EcoGreen Natriumfilter (selective sodium removal using monovalent-selective membranes and electrostatic desalination), EcoGreen Nitraatfilter (nitrate recovery), and EcoGreen+ (zero-emission sodium removal with multimedia pre-treatment). Retains reusable nutrients (Ca, Mg, SO4) while removing sodium. For greenhouse growers facing near-zero emission mandates by 2027.
• Desalination Systems (Ontzoutingssystemen) Electrically driven (membrane) separation technologies for water desalination, including both electrostatic and electrochemical electrodialysis approaches. Addresses soil salinization and supports water circularity for greenhouse, livestock, industrial, cooling tower, and fermentation applications.
• Acid-Base Regeneration Systems (BMED) Bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) systems that convert sodium chloride (NaCl) from wastewater streams back into hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for reuse in production processes. Consumes 250% less electricity than alternative technologies. Available from laboratory to large-scale production. For pharmaceutical, chemical, and food processing industries.
• Electrostatic Water Softening System (CED) Capacitive Electro Dialysis (CED) using capacitive electrodes that charge and discharge like a battery without electrochemical REDOX reactions. Removes calcium and magnesium from cooling water with 90% reduction after 4-second membrane passage, 98% soft water yield, less than 2 kWh energy consumption, and zero chemical usage. For cooling tower operators.
• Feasibility Study Service (Haalbaarheidsstudie) Laboratory-scale desalination testing on customer water samples combined with full technical and economic analysis (ROI, NPV, CAPEX, OPEX, worse-expected-best case scenarios) to assess viability before full-scale system investment. Initial consultation is free; detailed study requires a nominal fee. For prospective B2B buyers in horticulture, livestock, industry, cooling, and fermentation sectors.
• ED Materials Shop (Stacks, Membranes, Electrodes) Online shop selling complete electrodialysis stacks for laboratory or pilot use, homogeneous cation and anion exchange membranes (low electrical resistance, wide pH range, low water permeability), bipolar membranes, supercapacitor electrodes for electrostatic desalination, custom titanium anode electrodes with Ru-Ir oxide coating, spacers, and end plates. For researchers and pilot-scale operators.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 80% water savings and 80% acid/base savings through reuse in industrial processes
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wageningen University & Research (WUR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater Future collaborates with WUR's Water & Food Biobased Research department in the SOLIDARITY project to research possibilities for converting industrial wastewater into acid and base. WUR conducts research while Water Future builds ED systems for lab and pilot studies.
• Carbogen AmciscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEnd-user and project partner in SOLIDARITY project. As an industrial company, Carbogen Amcis provides real-world wastewater streams and serves as the end-user of the recovered acid/base products in their production processes.
• ColsencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner in the BioCatcher project with Water Future and Universiteit van Antwerpen. Working on converting ammonia emissions to biological ammonium nitrate fertilizer using 3 chained techniques.
• Universiteit van AntwerpencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in the BioCatcher project developing solutions to convert ammonia emissions from livestock into biological fertilizer without mineral acids.
• Grass2GritcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean project focused on sustainable processing and reuse of roadside grass. Water Future received the commission to scale up the salt concentration process from grass sap to road salt (de-icing) at pilot level.
• Universiteit TwentecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaboratory partner in Grass2Grit project where initial experiments showed maximum salt concentration from grass sap of 8%. Also collaborated on RENCON method development.
• PowerplasticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Water Future within the Stimulus program to develop a sustainable cooling water treatment system. Powerplastics provides testing facilities for the demonstration of chemical-free water softening and disinfection technology.
• RiddercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWater Future and Ridder have jointly implemented sodium removal systems (EcoGreen and NoNa+) in greenhouse horticulture. Ridder is a horticultural technology company that distributes climate and water management solutions.
• Nederlands Centrum voor Mestverwaarding (NCM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting organization for the RENCON project, recognizing the importance of the technology for manure processing. Actively facilitates the project's development.
• Mestverwerker Merensteyn (Meren Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPilot location for the RENCON method in Ysselsteyn, Limburg. A newly developed membrane separation technique is being tested to split thin manure fraction into RENURE concentrate and clean water using electrodialyse.
• KovemicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPig manure processor in Asten working with Water Future on a pilot to recover nitrogen and other nutrients from thin manure fraction for reuse as fertilizer. Province of North Brabant subsidy supporting the collaboration.
• Proefstation voor de Groenteteelt Sint-Katelijne-WavercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelgian research station that installed an EcoGreen+ system from Water Future for sustainable sodium removal and nitrogen emission reduction. Leading the implementation of sustainable innovations.
• TNOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner in eCO2FORM project. TNO improves their electrochemical low-pressure reactor for potassium formate production and conducts techno-economic and market analysis. Coordinates dissemination activities.
• GAFTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in eCO2FORM project improving high-pressure electrochemical reactor for potassium formate production and developing bioprocess technologies to convert formic acid into fatty acids for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Works with Water Future on system integration and validation.
• DENScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in eCO2FORM project developing and testing a new dehydrogenation reformer that uses 85% concentrated formic acid produced by GAFT and Water Future, replacing current versions that use fossil-based formic acid.
• Universiteit TwentecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating with Water Future in eCO2FORM to develop cost-effective, water-permeable bipolar membranes (BPMs) for the ED-BPM system to optimize formic acid production.
• VIDA Project ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean VIDA project consortium targeting zero emission of water and nutrients for greenhouse horticulture. Water Future contributes sodium removal technology as a key component of the zero-emission solution.
• STOWAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating on multiple projects including the 'Zero Nitrogen Emission' project investigating nitrate recovery from EcoGreen concentrate and wastewater reuse options for the Dutch horticulture sector.
• Water AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater technology network in the Netherlands; Water Future is a member listed in the collaborations section of the website.
• WABICOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentioned by alumni Floortje van Vliet as a customer for whom she handled client projects. Appears to be a company in the water/biotechnology sector.
• SwinkelsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentioned by alumni Floortje van Vliet as a company for whom she handled client projects. Appears to be a brewery/food industry company with water treatment needs.
• van der VeldenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentioned by alumni Floortje van Vliet as a company for whom she handled client projects. Appears to be a water treatment company.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ridder Group: Dutch horticultural technology vendor distributing climate, water, and irrigation systems — including the jointly developed NoNa+ sodium-removal system with Water Future; serves the same greenhouse growers and competes in adjacent water-management product lines.
• Saltworks Technologies: Saltworks builds industrial desalination and ion-exchange systems for challenging water streams, including brine reuse and selective ion removal; directly comparable to Water Future's ED-based and BMED industrial water and resource-recovery offerings.
• Priva: Leading Dutch provider of climate, water, and process automation for greenhouse horticulture; targets the same Dutch and international greenhouse operators that Water Future serves with EcoGreen sodium removal and nitrate recovery.
• NX Filtration: Dutch membrane company developing hollow-fiber nanofiltration and membrane modules for water treatment in industrial, agricultural, and municipal applications; competes for the same Dutch and Benelux membrane water-treatment customers as Water Future.
• Voltea: Voltea commercializes Capacitive Deionization (CapDI), the closest direct analogue to Water Future's Capacitive Electrodialysis (CED); both use supercapacitor-style electrodes for chemical-free ion removal from water streams and serve industrial, agricultural, and commercial customers.

Emerging players

• Aqua Membranes: Early-stage membrane company developing printed spacing technology for spiral-wound RO and NF membranes; targets similar industrial and agricultural desalination customers with lower-fouling membrane alternatives.

Broad incumbents

• Veolia Water Technologies: Global environmental services and water technology company operating in municipal and industrial water treatment; competes broadly with Water Future in desalination, industrial water reuse, and resource-recovery applications.
• SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions: Global water-treatment major offering membrane desalination, electrodialysis, and acid/base recovery solutions at industrial scale; competes with Water Future's BMED and ED systems in industrial wastewater and resource recovery.
• Pentair X-Flow: Major membrane and water-treatment incumbent with ultrafiltration and nanofiltration products used across industrial, municipal, and agricultural water applications; competes with Water Future's membrane-based separation portfolio.

Others

• Nijhuis Industries: Dutch industrial water and wastewater treatment provider; listed as a Water Future collaborator on the website and competes in industrial water treatment and cooling-tower applications in the Benelux market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/water-future-nl

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Water Future