Israeli headquartered AqWise provides advanced biological wastewater treatment technologies, recycling a simple concept that has been used for years in fish aquariums.
AqWise uses a patented technology called AGAR® (Attached Growth Airlift Reactor), which increases capacity and nutrient removal in waste water treatment plants, utilizing advanced bio film technology. The technology has been described as “building condominiums for Bacteria”.
According to the company website, the AGAR process uses a polymer cylinder that, when placed in wastewater treatment ponds, clusters microbes that consume contaminants. The water can then be safely discarded or used to irrigate fields.
The AGAR process can be used in intensive municipal plants and extensive lagoons, from fish-farms to food industries, from pulp and paper plants to chemical plants. The process allows to expand existing waste water treatment plants while using the same biological reactor, therefore, it reduces the cost of upgrading, the project duration, and the area required for additional reactors.
AqWise is led by CEO Eytan Levy (42), the founder and a Partner at Israel CleanTech Ventures. The company was founded in 2000, has 18 employees and received a $4M round in 2006. Recently Elron aquired 34% of AqWise’s shares.
Take a sneak peak at AqWise’s purifying process
I'm a former general partner at google ventures, head of Google for Entrepreneurs in Europe and founding head of Campus London, Google's first physical hub for startups.
I'm also the founder of Techbikers, a non-profit bringing together the startup ecosystem on cycling challenges in support of Room to Read. Since inception in 2012 we've built 11 schools and 50 libraries in the developing world.
