Salinity Solutions
Tyseley Energy Park
Fordrough
Yardley
Birmingham
B25 8DW
what3words: ///palace.guard.rail

Menu
Close

Next Generation Reverse Osmosis

Industrial and municipal wastewater treatment that recovers more water for less energy

A compact, high recovery system that dramatically reduces the energy footprint of a wide range of industrial and municipal water treatment processes

Uses < 50% energy​, Small footprint​ High recovery

The SAM50 system provides a wide range of solutions for environmental clean-up, water recycling, mineral extraction and Ultrapure Water (UPW).​ For example see how we can impact lithium extraction, which is a vital growth sector for achieving global net zero goals.​

SAM50

01

A compact, containerised system that offers high recovery for lower energy consumption. Industry applications include brackish water lithium extraction, food processing, battery production, hydrogen generation and pharmaceuticals.

Our Technology

02

Developed over 10 years at Aston University & the University of Birmingham, our proprietary technology has been tested and proven in the field.

News

01

Toshiba pilots batch Water Purification System

Aquatech Trade News: Tuesday, 04 March 2025 Japanese water and wastewater treatment company Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corporation (TISS) is diversifying its portfolio and will offer the highly energy-efficient batch purification technology provided by UK-based Salinity Solutions. Successful trial for world-first technology TISS placed an order for the Salinity Solutions' HyBatch system following the conclusion of a lab-based feasibility trial. HyBatch's patented batch processing system is the first to be manufactured commercially. It was developed to reduce the environmental impact of water treatment, which matches TISS' commitment to contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to reduce environmental impacts with consideration for the circular economy and the welfare of ecosystems. Steve Dunn, commercial and operations director, Salinity Solutions, told Aquatech Online: "We're delighted to be given this opportunity. We know our technology has the potential to benefit a range of sectors with its many applications and we look forward to showing its capabilities." The need for energy-efficient water solutions Salinity Solutions was established with the goal of addressing the two biggest challenges in sustaining human life on earth – water and energy. Water stress is a problem facing the entire world and all forecasts suggest it will only get worse. At the same time, water demand is set to double over the next five years, which provides an opportunity for technology and water reuse to meet demand while addressing shortage. However, estimates suggest 80 per cent of the word's wastewater is returned to rivers, oceans, and other water sources without being treated. Treating more water is both a solution and a major challenge, especially as the water that does currently get treated uses approximately four per cent of the world' total electricity production. Treating more water using conventional technology will consume huge amounts of energy. In response to this challenge, Salinity Solutions, a spin-out from The University of Birmingham, developed its batch purification technology, which uses half the energy of traditional methods. Its patented, commercially viable solution has been described as the biggest step forward in water treatment in 50 years and has the potential to benefit membrane processes in every corner of the globe ─ from industrial wastewater clean-up and high value mineral extraction to rural drinking water. Toshiba's commitment to water and the environment TISS is part of Japan's Toshiba Group. It provides products and services with the goal of solving common global issues, such as those involving water and the environment. In the water space, TISS provides water and wastewater treatment systems and 'operational know-how to solve customer issues all over the world and contributes to the creation of environmentally advanced communities with sustainable water infrastructure in response to regional, cultural, and environmental requirements'. It has been involved in water infrastructure since the 1970s, and offers everything from business planning to operation management, working across the life cycle of a water treatment plant. How the technology works A company spokesperson told Aquatech Online: Salinity Solutions' HyBatch is the world's first commercialised batch reverse osmosis wastewater treatment technology. It purifies up to 98 percent of wastewater with 50 per cent less energy than conventional systems and is also easily transportable." They added: "It works by using varying amounts of pressure to push water through a membrane to give optimal results." Unlike conventional reverse osmosis membrane systems, the company's proprietary system can achieve a higher recovery within a smaller footprint by recirculating feedwater around the membrane. Its patented pressure exchange process dramatically reduces the average pressure in the system and therefore the energy consumption. This allows it to purify a higher amount of wastewater, generate less waste, and be more compact than traditional systems. Since launching in 2021, Salinity Solutions has completed successful trials and pilots in multiple industries, including lithium mining, industrial and municipal wastewater, agriculture, and food production, including trials with SUEZ. The company has also built a strong sales pipeline across multiple sectors and geographies. Salinity Solutions' technology is currently in use in the UK and Germany and will soon be operating in France and Chile. Article published in Aqua Tech Trade 04/03/25 - see original here.

01

Toshiba pilots batch Water Purification System

02

Best-selling vertical farm GrowUp wins Water Conservation Award at National Sustainability Awards

Great to see that GrowUp Farm won the Water Conservation Award at the National Sustainability Awards. The judges were particularly impressed by GrowUp, which is a certified B Corp, and our partnership with them to run a successful water-purification trial at its Kent vertical farm. The trial, which was the first one globally in the food sector, was able to purify 98% of the vertical farm’s wastewater streams to a standard better than tap water. Also, the new, disruptive technology used dramatically reduces the environmental footprint of water treatment, using half the energy of existing systems.Read the full article published by Feast Magazine: GrowUp wins Water Conservation Award at National Sustainability Awards - Feast Magazine

02

Best-selling vertical farm GrowUp wins Water Conservation Award at National Sustainability Awards

03

Team Profile: Vena Jain

Please join us in welcoming Vena to the Salinity Solutions team.  Vena is a 2023 MSc graduate in Water and Sustainable Development from IHE Delft Institute for Water Education in the Netherlands. Previously, she completed an Integrated Masters and Bachelors (MEng Hons) in Chemical Engineering from University of Bath, United Kingdom. She has studied and worked in European and Asian environments over the past 5 years.  Despite growing up in a small, urbanized city in Northern India, most areas in her town continued to suffer with sporadic water supply. Thus, her desire to work in solving such real-world problems stems from her background and future interest in such real-world problems that align with her core beliefs. During her MSc studies, she actively explored the feasibility of various treatment technologies for the removal of PFAS in reverse osmosis membrane systems. Additionally, during her past work experiences and MEng degree, she participated in projects focused on innovative wastewater treatments related to resource recovery and emerging contaminants. Vena’s first project at Salinity will be on the analysis of water quality parameters for customer projects and exploring the limitations of our system, during lab and field trials.

03

Team Profile: Vena Jain

06

SQM’s corporate venture arm breaks into water

April 2024: This recent article from GWI highlights that SQM Lithium Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of SQM, Chile’s top lithium producer, has made its first two investments in water after screening hundreds of applications. We are delighted to share that last month the company invested £1 million ($1.27 million) in Salinity Solutions. This deal comes with an option to acquire additional equity in the future. A quote from SQM Lithium Ventures states “We are aiming to invest up to a total of $2.34 million to include a pilot project in our operations in the Salar, in the Atacama”. This is great news for Salinity Solutions, as this investment unlocks our next stage of growth. For more information, please visit: SQM’s corporate venture arm breaks into water©globalwaterintel.com, Media Analytics Ltd

06

SQM’s corporate venture arm breaks into water

07

SUEZ TO PILOT SALINITY SOLUTIONS’ LOW ENERGY WATER REUSE TECHNOLOGY IN FRANCE

Tuesday, April 16th SUEZ, a global leader in environmental services, and Salinity Solutions, an engineering technology company based in Birmingham (UK), have signed an agreement to pilot an innovative reverse osmosis system at a fully operational wastewater treatment plant in France.   Salinity Solutions’ HyBatch, a ground-breaking batch reverse osmosis (RO) technology – the first in the world to be manufactured commercially – has been developed to reduce the environmental impact of water treatment. Salinity’s system uses less energy, purifies a higher amount of wastewater, generates less waste, and is more compact than traditional RO systems. Jörg Linsenmaier, Executive Vice President for SUEZ Engineering and Construction and Member of Executive Committee: “SUEZ is constantly seeking ways to enable customers to provide access to water services with resilient and innovative solutions. The aim of this partnership is to optimise the re-use of a high-quality wastewater to increase the availability of water, while simultaneously reducing energy and chemical usage.” Following successful lab trials and a scale-up study over the last 18 months, SUEZ has ordered a unit to be installed later this year. The aim of the pilot is to evaluate how HyBatch – which was initially trialled as a method of concentrating and extracting minerals from brackish flows – can improve  on conventional reverse osmosis, to  remove salts and contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, heavy metals and PFAS from wastewater. Salinity Solutions’ CEO, Richard Bruges, commented: “I’m delighted to formalise this partnership with SUEZ, which is a tremendous milestone for our company. With global water demand set to double over the next five years, efficient wastewater reuse is essential. Water treatment currently consumes 4% of the world’s total electricity production and conventional reverse osmosis systems are energy intensive.  Working with SUEZ, we can bring significant energy and water savings to the municipal sector and other industries.” The advanced treatment solution will contribute to promoting wastewater as a new resource, particularly in coastal regions such as the Mediterranean that are exposed to saline intrusion into groundwater resources and sewer networks.  About Salinity Solutions Launched in 2021 as a spin-off from the University of Birmingham in April 2021, following 10 years of research and development at Aston University and University of Birmingham under the supervision of Professor Philip Davies, Salinity Solutions addresses two of the biggest challenges in sustaining human life on earth – water and energy. The company has developed a game-changing batch reverse osmosis water purification technology, which uses half the energy of traditional reverse osmosis methods. Its patented, commercially viable solution has been described as the biggest step forward in water treatment in 50 years and has the potential to benefit every corner of the globe - from wastewater clean-up and high value mineral extraction to rural drinking water supply. http://www.salinitysolutions.co.uk/ About SUEZ Faced with growing environmental challenges, SUEZ has been delivering essential services that protect and improve people’s quality of life for more than 160 years. SUEZ enables its customers to provide access to water and waste services through innovative, resilient solutions. With 40,000 employees across 40 countries, the Group works with its customers to create value over the whole infrastructure and service lifecycle and helps them achieve ecological transition by involving their users. In 2022, SUEZ provided drinking water to 68 million people worldwide and sanitation services to more than 37 million. It also generated 7.9 TWh of energy from waste and wastewater. In 2022, SUEZ’s revenue amounted to €8.8 billion*.  For more information: www.suez.com / Twitter @suez

07

SUEZ TO PILOT SALINITY SOLUTIONS’ LOW ENERGY WATER REUSE TECHNOLOGY IN FRANCE

08

SALINITY SOLUTIONS SECURES £1 MILLION INVESTMENT FROM SQM LITHIUM VENTURES

Press Release 18th March 2024 Salinity Solutions, an engineering tech start-up based in Birmingham (UK) has secured a GBP £1 million initial investment from SQM Lithium Ventures to fund the next stage of its growth. SQM Lithium Ventures, in return, will take ownership of a minority stake in the company, with the option to acquire additional equity in the future. SQM Lithium Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of the lithium business of Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (SQM), one of the world’s leading producers of battery-grade lithium chemicals. Salinity Solutions joins the SQM Lithium Ventures portfolio alongside industry-leading companies like Altilium Clean Technology and Electric Era. Salinity Solutions developed HyBatchä, its ground-breaking batch reverse osmosis water treatment technology – the first in the world to be manufactured commercially – to dramatically reduce the environmental impact of water treatment. The technology uses less energy, purifies a higher amount of wastewater, generates less waste, and is more compact and portable than traditional reverse osmosis systems. The first of Salinity Solutions' five registered patents has been approved in the European Union, China and the United States. Since launching in 2021, Salinity Solutions has completed trials in multiple industries, including lithium mining, industrial and municipal wastewater, and food production. The company has built a strong sales pipeline across multiple sectors and geographies. “SQM’s investment will help us accelerate Salinity’s growth and achieve our 2024 goals of increasing unit sales and securing our first licencing agreement. Their strategic interests in lithium and water, combined with their geographical reach from Chile to China, offer a perfect fit to support our ambitious growth plans,” said Salinity Solutions’ CEO, Richard Bruges. The investment goes hand-in-hand with SQM’s ongoing drive to improve efficiency and reduce its environmental impact as part of its sustainability goals. These include reducing the use of groundwater by 40% by 2030, decreasing brine extraction in the Salar de Atacama by 20% in 2023 and 50% by 2030, and becoming carbon neutral in lithium production by 2030. As part of its collaboration with SQM, the Salinity Solutions team will run a pilot project in the Salar de Atacama, with its team members based in Antofagasta and other locations in the north of Chile. Angeles Romo, Director of SQM Lithium Ventures, commented: “SQM Lithium Ventures is investing in Salinity Solutions in hopes that the company, through its revolutionary technology, will be capable of scaling and making an impact across different industries and geographies. This marks our first investment in water, one of our core focus areas for investment along with lithium and electromobility. At SQM Lithium Ventures, we are always seeking to fund projects in cleantech, specifically water, to accelerate start-ups like this one. In doing this, we seek not only to scale the business, but also make an impact on the quality of life of multiple communities.” Salinity Solutions’ co-founder and CTO, Tim Naughton, commented: “We are delighted to have SQM as a partner as we commercialize our world-leading technology. Global water demand is set to double over the next five years. Water treatment consumes 4% of the world’s total electricity production and conventional reverse osmosis systems are energy intensive. Working with SQM, we can bring significant energy and water savings to the mining sector and many other industries, in Chile and around the world.” Pablo Melipillan, SQM’s Lithium Process Director for China, who will join the board of Salinity Solutions, commented: “It is a great pleasure to join the water treatment business through this international partnership. With our experience in running innovation and scaling up and building cutting edge industrial projects, SQM can support Salinity to be successful in reaching its technical and commercial goals.” Salinity Solutions was formed as a spin-off from the University of Birmingham in April 2021, following 10 years of research and development at Aston University and University of Birmingham under the supervision of Professor Philip Davies. Founder Tim Naughton secured an Innovate UK iCURE grant and seed investment from Clean Engineering, followed by two oversubscribed crowdfunding campaigns on Crowdcube. Existing investors, including the University of Birmingham, have added to this investment round over the last six months, investing over £960,000 alongside SQM, providing a total of £1.96M in new funding for the company. About Salinity Solutions Salinity Solutions addresses two of the biggest challenges in sustaining human life on earth – water and energy. The company has developed a game-changing batch reverse osmosis water purification technology, which uses half the energy of traditional reverse osmosis methods. Its patented, commercially viable solution has been described as the biggest step forward in water treatment in 50 years and has the potential to benefit every corner of the globe - from wastewater clean-up and high value mineral extraction to rural drinking water supply. http://www.salinitysolutions.co.uk/ About SQM Lithium Ventures SQM Lithium Ventures, launched in December 2022, seeks to invest in growing companies solving challenges related to lithium, water, and electromobility. The fund invests an average ticket of USD 3 million, plus follow-on investments, in companies across the globe, and also operates an acceleration program based in Antofagasta, Chile, for earlier-stage start-ups within the same three verticals. Parent company SQM is one of the world's largest producers of lithium for use in electric vehicle batteries. The fund has a global presence, with team members in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. After evaluating more than 500 companies and completing four investment committees to date, the fund is advancing rapidly in conversations with several of the most innovative companies in its verticals. The selection process consisted of several months of diligence and meetings with the Salinity Solutions team, culminating with an investment committee with participation of SQM's CEO, largest shareholders, and key company leaders. ENDS

08

SALINITY SOLUTIONS SECURES £1 MILLION INVESTMENT FROM SQM LITHIUM VENTURES

15

Team Profile: Steve Wheelhouse

Please join us in welcoming Steve Wheelhouse as our new Head of Finance. Steve has nearly 30 years of commercial and hands-on Finance leadership experience gained in the UK and internationally. In addition to key Finance roles at Ford and Lloyds Bank, Steve spent 24 years at IBM, working as CFO/FD in multiple business units completing international leadership assignments in France, Switzerland, and the UAE. He led Finance for IBM’s hardware business in Northern Europe, was FD for IBM’s Global Technology Services business in the UK and Ireland, and headed up Finance across all of IBM’s business in the Middle East, Africa, Turkey, and Pakistan. He was also Head of Finance for Visa Inc. in the Middle East and Africa. Steve has worked extensively with business partners, developers, and FinTech companies and has shifted focus to providing FD support to SMEs.   Steve has a track record of delivering significant improvements in profitability, driving business transformation, and building effective Finance organisations.

15

Team Profile: Steve Wheelhouse

17

Team Profile: Peter Hillis

We would like to welcome Peter Hillis to the Salinity Solutions Advisory Board. Peter is a water and wastewater treatment expert who has worked globally on projects including research and development, strategic planning, feasibility and concept design, detailed design and commissioning and operational optimisation. Peter is well respected internationally and brings with him access to a global network of world-leading independent experts. He has published many papers in peer-reviewed journals as well as presenting at international conferences and workshops. Peter was part of a select group that presented technical information to the Badenoch and Bouchier Committees on Cryptosporidium in Drinking Water and he has represented United Utilities in dealings with the Drinking Water Inspectorate and the UK Environment Agency on both technical and strategic matters. Peter is currently based in Melbourne, Australia.

17

Team Profile: Peter Hillis

18

Pioneering Kent vertical farm to host food sector’s first trial of revolutionary water-purification technology

Press Release GrowUp Farms, owner of the Kent based pioneering vertical farm Pepperness, will shortly start the food sector’s first trial of a new, disruptive technology which dramatically reduces the environmental footprint of water treatment. Salinity Solutions’ ground-breaking batch reverse osmosis technology - the first in the world to be manufactured commercially – could have a major impact on reducing wastewater, not only in the food sector but in many other sectors around the world, helping to solve the emerging global water crisis. GrowUp Farms, which launched its Unbeleafable salad range in Tesco stores this summer, is already a keen advocate of sustainability. Pepperness benefits from state-of-the-art technology to create perfect growing conditions inside to grow food, which is better for the environment as it not only uses less water, but the salad also lasts longer, resulting in less waste. The trial with Salinity Solutions aims to demonstrate how efficiently wastewater can be captured, purified to the highest food standards and reused at Pepperness, so GrowUp can use even less water and reduce its impact on the planet even further. GrowUp Farms Impact Director Gillon Dobie said “Producing more food with less resources is central to our philosophy, no more so than when it comes to our water use. We’re already making great strides to conserve this precious resource at Pepperness but we’re striving to get even better. We’re delighted to be working with Salinity Solutions on this trial, which we hope will make a big difference to improving our positive impact.” Globally, demand for water is set to double over the next five years. Water treatment consumes 4% of the world’s total electricity production and conventional reverse osmosis* systems are traditionally energy intensive. Crucially, Salinity Solutions’ technology uses half the energy of existing systems while recovering up to 98% of clean water, while it is also compact and easily transportable. Salinity Solutions’ co-founder Liam Burlace added: “We’re very grateful to GrowUp Farms for allowing us to demonstrate our technology in the food sector and hope this trial marks the beginning of a long-term collaboration with them. Our shared goal is to reduce the consumption of energy and water so the results of this trial could have a significant impact on how the food industry manages its resources.” Funding for the trial at Pepperness in Kent (coincidentally one of the driest UK counties) has been secured through a £29,000 sustainability grant from Growing Kent and Medway’s ‘Business Sustainability Challenge’ grant, which addresses key sustainability issues and opportunities. GrowUp Farms was one of 13 beneficiaries of a grant pot worth more than £1.6 million to fund projects in the region that will sustainably transform the horticultural and plant-based food and drink supply chain. Dr Nikki Harrison, Programme Director for Growing Kent & Medway, said: “We are investing in real-world business innovation and research projects that demonstrate how science-led, sustainable innovation can be deployed throughout the supply chain. This not only benefits the environment by helping Kent businesses become more sustainable but also stimulates economic growth. Fresh thinking can help create new revenue streams and new markets from waste by-products and processes. “While these projects demonstrate the exciting innovation happening in Kent and Medway, we expect the knowledge that is gained to help transform our food systems throughout the sector.” - ENDS - Notes to editor:  *Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a process where water purified by pumping it through a semi-permeable membrane. Conventional RO uses a lot of energy as the pumping energy is lost when the water passes through the membrane. Salinity Solutions’ technology more than halves the energy used through a patented combination of a pressure exchange vessel and advanced recirculation control, developed from theory to reality over 10 years of research at the Universities of Birmingham and Aston. Media ContactSophie Banks / Angie Cronin, Loudbird PR and Communications07815 147073 / 07970 810302  [email protected] About GrowUp Farms GrowUp Farms was founded by Kate Hofman and Tom Webster in 2013 and is a pioneer in UK vertical farming.   GrowUp Farms grows its salads in a controlled environment, where the climate provides the plants with perfect conditions. This means it can grow to the best standard all year round and isresilient to climate change. GrowUp Farms was the first vertical farm to introduce a branded salad into a supermarket chain in the UK with the launch of Fresh Leaf Co. in Iceland stores across the country in February of 2023 and the Unbeleafable range in Tesco in July 2023. GrowUp Farms' vertical farm, Pepperness, is near Sandwich, Kent. It combines innovative farming technology with renewable energy, using electricity and waste heat from the bioenergy plant next door, which means the farm is not affected by the energy price increases squeezing greenhouse and conventional farmers in the UK. GrowUp Farms is B Corp certified with a high B Impact Score of 104.7 points, against the pass threshold of 80 points. The score reflects GrowUp Farms' commitment to the high standards set by B Corp to achieve social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability in all areas of the business as well as contributing to the economic and social well-being of the communities that GrowUp Farms operates in, alongside a commitment to environmental causes. About Salinity SolutionsSalinity Solutions addresses the two biggest challenges in sustaining human life on earth – water and energy. The University of Birmingham spin-out, established in 2021, has developed a game-changing batch reverse osmosis water purification technology, which uses half the energy of traditional methods. Its patented, commercially viable solution has been described as the biggest step forward in water treatment in 50 years and has the potential to benefit every corner of the globe - from industrial wastewater clean-up and high value mineral extraction to rural drinking water. http://www.salinitysolutions.co.uk/ Media Contact for Salinity SolutionsJane Griffin +44 7767 [email protected] About Growing Kent & MedwayGrowing Kent & Medway is supported by UK Research and Innovation’s Strength in Places Fund. It is a world-class research, innovation and enterprise cluster that connects businesses in the region to support innovation and to establish the area as a world-leader in sustainable horticultural food and drink production. www.growingkentandmedway.com @GrowingKent_Med

18

Pioneering Kent vertical farm to host food sector’s first trial of revolutionary water-purification technology

21

Trial brings hope for phosphate mitigation funding

This article from Water Magazine highlights that Somerset Council is hoping to secure Government funding to deliver phosphate mitigation measures, which will unlock the delivery of 18,000 new homes across the area and provide for longer term nature recovery. Through our recent trail with Somerset Council and Wessex Water we have been given the opportunity to demonstrate our technology as an effective phosphate and nitrate removal solution. This trial has now brought hope for their phospate mitigation funding, and has shown that our technology has the potential to assist all the nutrient neutrality catchment areas by providing a cost effective solution. Trial brings hope for phosphate mitigation funding - Water Magazine

21

Trial brings hope for phosphate mitigation funding

22

Water Desalination Report: August 2023 

An article published this week by Water Desalination Report details how our Batch RO system could be the nutrient removal solution for Somerset Council, following our recent field trial at the Fivehead Wastewater Treatment Works. The Council wishes to expand their existing phosphate credit scheme to allow for the development of a backlog of 18,000 new homes and provide for long-term nature recovery. US-based WDR is well-established around the globe for its insight on desalination and advanced water treatments. It is respected by senior decision makers in the water treatment sector and will certainly help to put us on their radar. WDR is subscription-only, but they have kindly given us this excerpt to share: http://salinitysolutions.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/WDR-070823-August-2023.pdf

22

Water Desalination Report: August 2023 

23

Pilot Trial Success

We’re very pleased that Sarah Dyke, the recently elected MP for Somerton and Frome, stopped by yesterday to see for herself our innovative energy efficient and chemical-free solution for removing phosphate and nitrate from municipal wastewater.   Sarah’s visit follows Rebecca Pow’s ministerial visit on Monday, alongside representatives from various government departments.   As we wrap up after two weeks on site, we’d like to thank everyone who has helped to make the pilot trial possible and such a success - Somerset Council for inviting us, Wessex Water for hosting us and Te-Tech Process Solutions, our manufacturing partner, for all their technical and logistical support.   For more information on the trial visit: Press release

23

Pilot Trial Success

25

What’s the problem with P? 

What’s the problem with P?  Nothing can live without P (Phosphorus). Not we humans, nor animals, nor plants.   Phosphorus is needed for the growth, maintenance, and repair of all tissues and cells, and for the production of the genetic building blocks, DNA and RNA.   However, the Earth’s supply of phosphorus is finite. At current consumption levels, we will run out of known phosphorus reserves in around 80 years, but consumption rates are set to increase.  Nearly 90% of phosphorus is used in the global food supply chain, most of it in crop fertilizers. Too much phosphorus in our natural world can cause increased growth of algae and large aquatic plants (eutrophication), which can produce toxins which can be harmful to human and animal health.  In terms of wastewater treatment there are two main phosphorus removal techniques – biological and chemical. In the case of biological, microorganisms are grown in the water which absorb and store phosphorus as polyphosphate. The phosphorus is bound into the biomass which is then separated from the treated water at the end of the process.  For chemical treatment, a metal salt, most commonly iron, is added to precipitate ortho-phosphate. The precipitate forms as a solid and is removed.  Our Batch Reverse Osmosis system offers water companies a new, high efficiency and most importantly, chemical-free, solution to extract residual phosphorus from wastewater and prevent it from entering the environment. The P-rich permeate can then be processed into fertiliser products to be applied in areas where soil nutrient is low.   If you would like to hear more about this process, please get in touch [email protected]   Sources:  https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/phosphorus#:~:text=Phosphorus%20is%20needed%20for%20the,iodine%2C%20magnesium%2C%20and%20zinc. http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2016/finalwebsite/solutions/phosphorus.html#:~:text=At%20current%20consumption%20levels%2C%20we,of%20it%20in%20crop%20fertilizers.  https://www.epa.gov/national-aquatic-resource-surveys/indicators-phosphorus#:~:text=Too%20much%20phosphorus%20can%20cause,to%20human%20and%20animal%20health.

25

What’s the problem with P? 

26

We’re 2023 WIA Winners!

Salinity Solutions are proud winners of the 2023 Water Industry Awards ‘Energy in Water’ Award. We were also highly commended in the category of Wastewater Innovation Project of the Year. This is another important step on the ladder for the business and it’s a tremendous accolade to be acknowledged in this way by the UK water industry. Founder Tim Naughton said afterwards “I’m super proud that we’ve won this award. It’s pretty humbling when you consider we were up against so many major players, from utility companies to the engineering giants - and we’re just two years old! Winning the ‘Energy in Water’ category is extra special. Reducing energy in water treatment is why we started Salinity in the first place. I’d like to say a huge thank you to the Salinity team and our wider family of partners and collaborators who have helped us achieve this fantastic milestone.”

26

We’re 2023 WIA Winners!

27

Team Profile: Tim Naughton

Our last team profile to share with you (for now) is our Co-Founder and Technical Director, Tim Naughton.Salinity Solutions was co-founded in 2021 by Tim, who wanted to provide a more sustainable solution, in a world where 40% of the population live with insufficient water supply, and the demand for water is set to double in the next 25 years. He has been involved with RO technology for the last 10 years, first getting involved with the Salinity technology as part of his engineering degree final year project.Tim now leads all technology development at Salinity and is also the main external face of the business. He is already well connected and respected throughout the industry, regularly presenting at events and conferences.Tim’s career highlight is Salinity Solutions as a whole, turning a research project into an award-winning business and building a strong and experienced team.Outside of work Tim’s family is very important to him and he loves travelling, snowboarding, and cooking.

27

Team Profile: Tim Naughton

29

Team Profile: Jim Gilroy

We hope you are enjoying finding out more about our talented individuals who have turned 10 years of academic research into a ground-breaking water treatment product, with the potential to impact the water treatment industry on a global scale, helping to Treat Water Better. This week we are focusing on our Head of Market Development, Jim Gilroy. Despite holding a Chemistry Degree from Swansea University, Jim’s career path has been sales and marketing, first training in sales in Massachusetts before joining Ogilvy & Mather in London. Later he founded an international marketing agency based in Amsterdam and London to serve automotive, technology and space clients.  At its heart his agency helped engineering-led businesses to expand their focus beyond their technology and products and instead put the needs of the customer at the core of their marketing. Jim sold the business in 2021 and joined the Salinity team where he is keen to help generate rapid growth. Career highlights include the rebrand of cycling’s Team Sky and winning the client account of the UK’s largest private company (INEOS). Outside of work Jim loves walking in the countryside with his dogs, spending time with his family, reading and snowboarding. 

29

Team Profile: Jim Gilroy

31

Team Profile: Steve Dunn

We hope you are enjoying finding out more about our talented individuals who have turned 10 years of academic research into a ground-breaking water treatment product, with the potential to impact the water treatment industry on a global scale, helping to Treat Water Better. This week we are focusing on our Operations and Commercial Director, Steve Dunn. Steve is an engineer at heart, and has a BEng from Coventry University, and an MA from Cranfield Business School. This engineering foundation has underpinned his career development into programme leadership, manufacturing operations, commercial and general management. His whole career has been based on generating growth through High Value Engineering and Manufacturing Innovation. He has either turned around struggling companies or created new start-ups. His focus for Salinity Solutions is taking these 30 years+ experience and using this to scale the business efficiently, quickly and to the highest manufacturing standards. His career highlight is being nominated by his then parent company (Rolls-Royce) as their best business to support the Ventilator Challenge working directly for the Cabinet Office at the outbreak of the pandemic. Outside of work, Steve’s passions are our planet and his family. He has just become a grandfather which has given him a different perspective on what is important in life. 

31

Team Profile: Steve Dunn

32

IMPROVING THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT

The system is 50 per cent more efficient than existing technologies and recovers 75 to 85 per cent of water Spotted: New data suggests that urban methane emissions may have been inadvertently underreported by a factor of three to four. When assessed across cities around the world that have populations of two million or more, the amount of underreported methane emissions could be nearly 22 per cent of the global total. Interestingly, the amount of methane correlates with the “estimated rates of untreated wastewater.”  Treating wastewater is an expensive process and is estimated to use up to three per cent of global energy output. As a means of reducing the carbon footprint of the water treatment industry, UK’s Salinity Solutions has created a system, called SAM50, with such a small footprint that it fits inside a 20-foot shipping container.   The SAM50 system’s efficiency is extremely high, using approximately 0.8 kilowatt hours (kWh) per cubic metre of water. Each unit processes up to 26 cubic metres of water per day and has been designed for quick installation and plug-and-play use. The system uses reverse osmosis technology to treat effluent and brine, extract minerals, and produce reusable water. Salinity Solutions’ patented pressure exchange process significantly reduces the amount of energy required to run the system, and the reverse osmosis separates highly concentrated volumes of minerals and other materials from the water.   Salinity Solutions’ first in-field trial of the system was held in Cornwall with Cornish Lithium and concentrated the lithium found in shallow geothermal waters.  Water is such an important global resource that Springwise is spotting a range of innovations making it easier and more sustainable to clean it, like a solar-powered method and a system that also generates energy during the purification process. Contact [email protected] for details. Published by Springwise Thursday, 30th March 2023

32

IMPROVING THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT

33

Startups & Disruptive Tech: Salinity Solutions

Founded in 2021, Salinity Solutions has developed a patented system that promises to purify global water supplies while consuming half of the energy used in conventional methods. The startup, which was established in Coventry by Professor Philip Davies and Timothy Naughton, has already raised over £3.2 million in grant funding and more than £1.3 million through crowdfunding efforts.  Company mission  Salinity Solutions intends to address two of today’s most pressing challenges: the declining availability of freshwater supplies and the excessive consumption of non-renewable energy.  “The world needs more fresh water, our energy consumption needs to be reduced, and our environmental impact needs to improve,” explains Naughton. “Our passion for water treatment is founded in a very real concern: the demand for freshwater is on the increase while the world’s supply is steadily decreasing.”  With just 0.5% of the world’s water available as a usable resource, its value to society cannot be overstated. Indeed, water is essential to human survival, economic development, food production, global peace and the health of natural ecosystems.  Currently, however, our water supplies are in a state of rapid decline. Over the past two decades, terrestrial water storage has been declining by around 1 centimetre each year. This trend is being driven by a number of factors, including population growth, climate change and the ongoing expansion of intensive industrial activity.  As these factors continue to evolve, estimates suggest that water scarcity will reach the global level as soon as 2030. By 2050, more than five billion people will lack sufficient access for at least one month per year.  Effective water treatment can ensure that remaining water supplies are kept as a safe and renewable resource but, with most available treatment technologies being extremely energy intensive, the environmental trade-offs involved may only worsen the problem.  Conventional technology gets an innovative upgrade  “Salinity Solutions provides a compact and highly efficient water treatment system that will dramatically reduce the energy footprint of a wide range of industrial processes,” says Naughton. The system is based on reverse osmosis, which uses a change in pressure to clean the water by pushing it through a semi-permeable membrane.  “Reverse Osmosis (RO) is one of the most effective forms of water treatment, but conventional systems are energy intensive and produce too much waste,” Naughton explains.   “Salinity’s high efficiency Batch RO technology is the first commercialised example of next generation Reverse Osmosis. Its patented system uses less than half the energy of conventional RO, while delivering market leading recovery rates by recirculating the feedwater around the membrane. Its pressure process reduces the average pressure in the system, dramatically reducing pumping energy.”   Overall, Naughton claims that the technology uses up to 70% less energy than conventional RO while reducing waste by approximately 80%.  Target market  According to Naughton, the SAM50 system can be used in applications including environmental clean-ups, water recycling and mineral extraction. With its diverse functionality, the company is targeting industries ranging from municipal wastewater treatment to mining, manufacturing and agriculture.  “We believe that adoption of this technology will have an impact in every corner of the globe, across every layer of society, from rural drinking water to large industrial processes,” says Naughton. “We’ve already identified at least 20 different sectors which could benefit. Our immediately addressable market is worth €26bn in an industry that will turn over €470bn by 2028.”  Next steps to commercial expansion  Though there is clearly a market for its technology, Salinity Solutions will have to overcome a number of hurdles on its road to commercialisation.  “Our biggest challenge, which will also demonstrate market viability, is to achieve mass adoption of the technology,” Naughton explains. “To achieve rapid adoption, we need to find global licensees for the technology. For this to happen, we need to raise awareness of our work and build our credibility in the water treatment industry, promoting visibility among investors, potential partners, customers, and buyers.”  Nonetheless, the startup appears to be making progress. It has recently entered into an agreement with Te-Tech, an established manufacturer of water processing solutions, to produce a line of bespoke units that are to be sold into three different industries within the coming year. The company has also partnered with Cornish Lithium, enabling it to demonstrate its technology in an initial field trial.  “Our next milestone is the conclusion of successful field trials that we are undertaking for municipal wastewater clients.” says Naughton. “In the meantime, we will be looking for additional investment to enable further development of the product and participation in other field trials.”  As it advances towards its commercial expansion, Salinity Solutions will continue to search for collaborative opportunities while harnessing the support of its local community.  “We can imagine greater collaboration between the different water treatment technologies (pre-treatment, post-treatment, dosing etc) to help create low-carbon treatment system chains. By working together there can be a greater emphasis on energy reduction of total systems, not just individual components,” Naughton observes.  “We feel very fortunate to be based in the West Midlands, close to Birmingham, which has rapidly become an epicentre for burgeoning tech start-ups and provides a source of growing talent,” he continues.   “The city is extremely supportive of entrepreneurs, proving a wealth of incentives, funding and support to ensure companies survive those early business years. We have recently won a grant to allow us to move into a bespoke site adjacent to the Birmingham Energy Institute. Also, as a University of Birmingham spinout company, we benefit greatly from the ongoing assistance offered by its enterprise arm, including PR, investment and governance.”  Contact [email protected] for details. Published by Energy Voice Wednesday, 12th April 2023

33

Startups & Disruptive Tech: Salinity Solutions

34

Team Profile: Jonathan Grylls

We hope you are enjoying finding out more about our talented individuals who have turned 10 years of academic research into a ground-breaking water treatment product, with the potential to impact the water treatment industry on a global scale, helping to Treat Water Better. This week we are focusing on our Electrical Engineering Manager Jonathan Grylls. With over 20 years' experience in electronic engineering, Jonathan has worked for world leading engineering companies and SME's across a wide variety of industrial and consumer sectors.  Prior to joining us, Jonathan worked with our CEO Richard Bruges at Productiv where he helped establish the electronic and software capabilities of the business and helped technology developers get their product ideas to market. He brings his broad experience to Salinity Solutions to develop our product control systems, helping to ensure our products exceed our customer expectations. One of Jonathan’s career highlights involved working on bomb disposal robots at Northrop Grumman. His work on the products has helped play a small part in reducing land mine injuries and deaths in many war-torn regions of the world.  Outside of work, spending time with his family and friends is most important to Jonathan, and when time allows getting out on his road bike. #team#treatwaterbetter#salinitysolutions#water#startup#engineering

34

Team Profile: Jonathan Grylls

35

New batch reverse osmosis unit uses 50% less energy for water purification and 80% less waste

Salinity Solutions, an engineering tech start-up, has partnered with leading water process solutions manufacturer, Te-Tech Process Solutions, to produce custom water treatment units featuring its revolutionary water purification technology. The technology, which has been hailed as the most significant advancement in water treatment in 50 years, uses batch reverse osmosis to deliver significant advantages over traditional reverse osmosis methods. The technology is applicable to over 20 sectors globally, including healthcare, industrial waste, mineral extraction, and food processing. Conventional reverse osmosis technology is notoriously energy-intensive, consuming 4% of the world's total electricity production. However, Salinity Solutions' technology offers a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach that reduces both carbon footprint and operating costs. The batch reverse osmosis technology uses 50% less energy, purifies up to 98% of water, generates 80% less waste than traditional methods, and is compact and easily transportable. The first batch RO product, SAM50, will be manufactured commercially by Te-Tech. Salinity Solutions was co-founded by Tim Naughton, who developed the technology while studying mechanical engineering at Aston University and later at the University of Birmingham alongside Professor Philip Davies, Head of Water Technology Research. Naughton's passion for water treatment is rooted in his concern for the world's dwindling freshwater supply. Since its founding, Salinity Solutions has raised over £1.5m from private sources and two funding rounds on Crowdcube. The University of Birmingham is an investor and shareholder in the company. One patent has already been granted, and four more are pending. The company has conducted successful field trials with eco-mining company Cornish Lithium and plans to conduct upcoming customer field trials in municipal water, food processing, and seawater desalination. Salinity Solutions' CEO, Richard Bruges, is excited to work with Te-Tech to scale up production and meet customer demand across a wide range of municipal and industrial water treatment applications. Te-Tech's reputation and expertise in the municipal and industrial wastewater markets will provide Salinity Solutions with the support and resources to rapidly accelerate business growth. Contact [email protected] for details. Published by Pollution Solutions Online Friday, 17 March 2023

35

New batch reverse osmosis unit uses 50% less energy for water purification and 80% less waste

36

Game Changing Reverse Osmosis Technology to become commercially available

Engineering technology start-up, Salinity Solutions has signed an agreement with a leading water process manufacturer, Te-Tech Process Solutions to start production of bespoke water treatment units containing its revolutionary water purification technology, which has been described as “the biggest advance in water treatment for 50 years”.  Te-Tech will manufacture and market Salinity Solutions’ patented, batch reverse osmosis (RO) technology, which delivers significant advantages over conventional RO technology and could potentially benefit more than 20 sectors across the globe, ranging from municipal wastewater treatment to high-value mineral extraction, healthcare, food processing and industrial waste, to agriculture and rural drinking water. Water treatment consumes 4% of the world’s total electricity production and conventional reverse osmosis* systems are traditionally energy intensive. However, Salinity Solutions has developed a more sustainable, low energy and environmentally friendly approach that reduces both carbon footprint and operating costs to make drinking water more affordable and accessible. Its game-changing, batch reverse osmosis technology, uses 50% less energy, purifies up to 98% of the water and generates 80% less waste than conventional methods, while it is also compact and easily transportable. Salinity Solutions’ SAM50 is the first batch RO product in the world to be manufactured commercially. Tim Naughton, co-founder of Salinity Solutions, said: “Signing this agreement with Te-Tech is a pivotal moment for us on our path to commercialisation. After over ten years of research and development of our pioneering, low-carbon technology, we’re excited to now be able to start taking orders and producing systems for our customers’ needs.” Te-Tech COO, Ashton Dewey, said: “We at Te-Tech are always looking to expand our portfolio of cutting-edge technologies and this agreement is a significant and exciting milestone as we introduce a new and innovative product to our customers.” Salinity Solutions’ technology was co-developed by Tim Naughton, while studying mechanical engineering at Aston University and later at the University of Birmingham, working alongside Professor Philip Davies, Head of Water Technology Research. Tim co-founded Salinity Solutions in 2021 to commercialise a more sustainable, energy-efficient solution for water treatment, in a world where 80% of wastewater is released untreated. His passion for water treatment is founded in a very real concern: only 0.5% of the earth’s water is in the form of available fresh water, the kind we need to survive and the demand for freshwater is on the increase while the world’s supply is steadily decreasing. 40% of the world’s population live in water stressed areas. Salinity Solutions’ CEO, Richard Bruges said: “We are excited to be working with Te-Tech as we scale up production to meet the demands of customers across a wide range of municipal and industrial water treatment applications including water re-use, ultrapure water production, mineral extraction, brine minimisation and effluent treatment. Te-Tech’s reputation and expertise in the municipal and industrial wastewater markets will provide us with the support and resources to grow our manufacturing and distribution and to rapidly accelerate the growth of the business that we started just two years ago.” Since it was founded, Salinity Solutions has raised over £1.5m from private sources and two rounds of funding on Crowdcube, where it smashed its target for fundraising. The University of Birmingham is an investor and shareholder, and the two parties continue to work closely together. One patent has already been granted and four more are in the pipeline. The company has held successful field trials with eco-mining company, Cornish Lithium and forthcoming customer field trials include municipal water, food processing and seawater desalination. Contact [email protected] for details. Published by Process and Control Today Tuesday, 14 March 2023

36

Game Changing Reverse Osmosis Technology to become commercially available

37

The potential coastal sites for Cornwall’s new desalination plants

South West Water (SWW) has revealed plans to tackle severe water shortages by building two small-scale plants by the end of summer, but has so far not confirmed publicly where it intends to put them. Water authorities in Cornwall are looking at two “potential” sites for emergency desalination plants near the popular beach of Polkerris on the south coast. Yet according to the company’s draft Water Resources Management Plan, currently out for public consultation, it is exploring potential plants near the seaside village of Polkerris and in Par, a working port 3km along the coast. “They have been developed in recent months as a specific response to the current drought”, the document reads, and will provide “significant volumes of water” to support the recharge of Colliford Reservoir. Colliford, around 35km inland from Polkerris, is the region’s main reservoir on Bodmin Moor but is currently less than half full. A SWW spokesperson said no formal announcement had yet been made on location, but that it expected to agree one “very quickly”. It added that it was working with Cornwall Council and the Environment Agency to have the plants running by the end of summer. In the consultation papers SWW said the desalination plants, which work by removing salt from seawater to produce clean drinking water, might be more expensive than other options for new water supplies. Depending on the energy source used, they could also have higher carbon costs. However, with the desalination option there was “strong confidence” that the plants could deliver the required volume of water within the timeframe. The water company is urgently looking at ways to diversify its water sources to tackle both to climate change and the “extreme circumstances” of 2022. After the driest summer in 30 years, Cornwall and other south western regions are still in an official drought. At the moment, about 90% of SWW’s water resources are taken from surface water supplies with the rest from groundwater. The company is now moving “ at pace” to develop additional water resources from repurposed mines and quarries and recently converted a redundant clay pit on Bodmin Moor into a new water source. Yet SWW is also looking into “climate independent” sources such as the desalination plants, which are more common in more arid countries such as the Middle East and Australia. The UK only has a few desalination plants including in the Isles of Scilly and the Channel Islands. In 2010, a plant was built in Beckton, east London which has the capacity to deliver up to 100M litres of water a day and has been used during dry spells to boost Thames Water’s reservoirs in London. The type of plants SWW wants to build in Cornwall use a process called reverse osmosis, which works by flowing seawater over a membrane at high pressure to remove the minerals. According to Tony Attenborough, an independent desalination and water treatment process consultant, SWW will be looking at desalination plants due to a lack of alternative options. “Desalination plants are the inevitable consequence of a fairly dense population with an inability to build impounding reservoirs,” he said. He added: “With groundwater, if you overabstract the level starts dropping in the aquifer. And once the level starts to drop in the aquifer, it's no longer been recharged at the rate that you're withdrawing, from so it's time to do something else.” One reason desalination plants are not common is because the high-pressure pumping process means they are expensive to run, said Attenborough.  He added that completing the plant before the end of summer was “extremely optimistic”, unless SWW intended to use a containerised desalination, where temporary units can be installed in a short timeframe. In addition to high energy costs, another environmental impact of desalination is that the process creates brine as a by-product which is then discharged back into the sea. According to Attenborough the environmental impact of brine from desalination plans is a “red herring”, as the amounts are so small. He added: “You do have to watch out that you’re not using chlorine and chucking it back in the sea, and there is some sludge that is produced, but you can treat that separately and it comes down to good design and writing good specifications to protect the environment.” Tim Naughton, co-founder of Salinity Solutions which supplies containerised desalination systems, said given the short timeframe SWW was unlikely to be building a permanent plant. Naughton explained that he expected it would be a containerised system, built offsite and transported to the coast to "plug and play". This option is mobile and doesn't require any civil engineering or planning permission, he said. He added: "Containerised solutions are likely to create much less of an eyesore along Cornwall’s coastline and would not leave a legacy of civil infrastructure." If the electricity and water supply is available, Naughton said the plants could be up and running by the end of Summer. Naughton said conventional reverse osmosis uses a lot of energy and is unlikely to be viable with solar or other renewables, though its possible the plants could be powered partially by renewable sources increasing the proportion over time. In 2021, Southern Water scrapped plans to build a £600M desalination plant on the edge of the New Forest in the face of local opposition. The scheme would have used water from the Solent. SWW drought and resilience director David Harris said: "The South West's water resources are under immense and increasing pressure. Our current system relies heavily on rainfall, and climate change has shown us that we need to develop alternative, climate-independent sources of water in Cornwall. “The South West has 1,376km of coastline, which makes desalination a logical option to explore as part of our additional £45M investment this year in new water resource schemes. We are assessing potential desalination sites in Cornwall as part of this planning. “We are also bringing new water sources online such as Hawks Tor, a redundant china clay pit purchased in 2022, which has been converted into a new reservoir inside nine months. These sites will be used alongside our wider supply network as and when required to support other sources.” Contact [email protected] for details. Published by New Civil Engineer Monday ,13 March 2023

37

The potential coastal sites for Cornwall’s new desalination plants

39

World Water Day 22nd March 2023

It’s World Water Day 2023! World Water Day this year is focused on accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis. You and your family, school and community can make a difference by changing the way you use, consume and manage water in your lives. Your commitments will be added to the Water Action Agenda, to be launched at the UN 2023 Water Conference – the first event of its kind for nearly 50 years. This is a once-in-a-generation moment for the world to unite around water. The hope is that everyone will have access to safe water throughout the world by 2030. At Salinity Solutions we believe our low carbon water treatment technology will help accelerate change. Although the demand for freshwater is on the increase, the world’s supply is steadily decreasing. Only 0.5% of the earth’s water is in the form of available fresh water and sources such as groundwater artesian wells are increasingly contaminated. When used to treat wastewater and brackish water, our technology can provide a viable and effective alternative for water utility companies. Browse our News page to read more about what we are doing to Treat Water Better.

39

World Water Day 22nd March 2023

40

Team Profile: Alan Tibbatts

We hope you are enjoying finding out more about our talented individuals who have turned 10 years of academic research into a ground-breaking water treatment product, with the potential to impact the water treatment industry on a global scale, helping to Treat Water Better. This week we are focusing on our IP Manager, Alan Tibbatts. Using his technical, business and law qualifications, Alan has developed IP management skills to help businesses identify, protect and exploit their valuable IP. He is currently adding his value to Salinity Solutions by developing a strong IP portfolio to protect the technical advances the team is making, which differentiate us from competitors. Career highlights include developing patent portfolios that have successfully raised millions in investment and grant funding and completing a patent licensing deal worth $5M with a major aircraft manufacturer. The most important thing for Alan outside of work is his family. He also loves music and has played piano since he started learning at 7 years old. He also enjoys MotoGP, cycling, working on his classic motorcycles, and riding them on the rare occasions they are actually running! #team #technology #water #treatwaterbetter #iplaw

40

Team Profile: Alan Tibbatts

42

Mobile wastewater purifier halves energy use

A portable, batch reverse-osmosis (RO), water purification technology reportedly uses at least 50% less energy than other methods and typically purifies more than 95% of wastewater.  Salinity Solutions, a University of Birmingham, UK, spin-out company, explains how its RO technology allows water to be purified through a semi-permeable membrane under pressure.Batch RO improves the efficiency using a pressure exchanger and recirculates the feedwater over the membrane in a sealed loop.Tim Naughton, Co-founder and Chief Technical Officer at Salinity Solutions, says, 'Using this method, we can desalinate, concentrate or purify water to very high recovery rates in a way that is at least 50% more energy efficient than traditional RO systems.'The patented system uses a pressure exchange vessel to reduce the average pressure and maintain a minimised pressure drop along the membrane. This vessel maximises the system efficiency by preventing energy being wasted during operation, saving up to 70% of the energy than conventional systems. The recirculation pump and unique valve arrangement maintain flow around the system to deliver recovery rates from 85-99%. The team explains that the technology has been developed into a modular system, is configurable to high and low pressures, is compact and can be solar powered (24V DC).'Employing conventional membranes, the process cycle reduces membrane scaling and fouling which is typically found in other RO systems. The technology requires less pre-treatment than traditional RO and its high recovery ratio reduces the need for downstream treatment, e.g. evaporation. The configuration also allows for a smaller footprint, potentially a quarter the size of competitors,' adds Naughton.'The technology is a process innovation. It uses 95% conventional RO system components in a smaller format – combined with lower service and energy costs, this ensures a lower total cost of operation.'More energy is saved as the scale increases. Naughton says, 'Our first product, the SAM50 (50bar), is set up to treat low flows for industrial use of around 25m³ per day, however, we are in the process of scaling the system for municipal customers who need to treat thousands of m³ per day.'The 50bar system is currently based out of Salinity Solutions’ Coventry headquarters, while a second 120bar (SAM120) system is based at the University of Birmingham. 'Both products are mobile and being made available to customers for field trials,' says Naughton.Naughton co-developed the technology while studying Mechanical Engineering at Aston University. This is when he met his collaborator Professor Philip Davies, (now Professor at the University of Birmingham). He believes that 'adoption of this technology will have a major impact in every corner of the globe' – from rural drinking water to large industrial processes.  The invention was inspired by demand for freshwater increasing while the world’s supply is steadily decreasing. Only 0.5% of the Earth’s water is in the form of available fresh water.Government grants of £3mln were provided, while the initial funding for the spin-out came from an angel investor. Since then, investment has come from within the team, the University of Birmingham, friends, family and crowdfunding. Naughton says, 'Crowdfunding was first chosen because of the compelling human story of the technology and to raise awareness of the project.' To date £1.5mln has been raised. The first commercial application is scheduled to go live in April with a European automotive parts manufacturer. Contact [email protected] for details. Published by IoM3 (Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining), Thursday, 09 March 2023

42

Mobile wastewater purifier halves energy use

43

Game-Changing Water Treatment Technology to Become Commercially Available Across the World

Engineering Tech Start-Up Salinity Solutions Signs Agreement with Leading Manufacturer, Te-Tech   Coventry, UK, Monday 13th March, 2023 – Engineering technology start-up, Salinity Solutions has signed an agreement with a leading water process solutions manufacturer, Te-Tech Process Solutions to start production of bespoke water treatment units containing its revolutionary water purification technology, which has been described as “the biggest advance in water treatment for 50 years”.  Te-Tech will manufacture and market Salinity Solutions’ patented, batch reverse osmosis technology, which delivers significant advantages over conventional reverse osmosis technology and could potentially benefit more than 20 sectors across the globe, ranging from municipal wastewater treatment to high-value mineral extraction, healthcare, food processing and industrial waste, to agriculture and rural drinking water. Water treatment consumes 4% of the world’s total electricity production and conventional reverse osmosis* systems are traditionally energy intensive. However, Salinity Solutions has developed a more sustainable, low energy and environmentally friendly approach that reduces both carbon footprint and operating costs to make drinking water more affordable and accessible. Its game-changing, batch reverse osmosis technology, uses 50% less energy, purifies up to 98% of the water and generates 80% less waste than conventional methods, while it is also compact and easily transportable. Salinity Solutions’ SAM50 is the first batch RO product in the world to be manufactured commercially. Tim Naughton (27), co-founder of Salinity Solutions, said:“Signing this agreement with Te-Tech is a pivotal moment for us on our path to commercialisation. After over ten years of research and development of our pioneering, low-carbon technology, we’re excited to now be able to start taking orders and producing systems for our customers’ needs.” Te-Tech COO, Ashton Dewey, said: “We at Te-Tech are always looking to expand our portfolio of cutting-edge technologies and this agreement is a significant, exciting, positive milestone as we introduce a new and innovative product to our customers.” Salinity Solutions’ game-changing technology was co-developed by Tim Naughton (age 27), while studying mechanical engineering at Aston University and later at the University of Birmingham, working alongside Professor Philip Davies, Head of Water Technology Research. Tim co-founded Salinity Solutions in 2021 to commercialise a more sustainable, energy-efficient solution for water treatment, in a world where 80% of wastewater is released untreated. His passion for water treatment is founded in a very real concern: only 0.5% of the earth’s water is in the form of available fresh water, the kind we need to survive and the demand for freshwater is on the increase while the world’s supply is steadily decreasing. 40% of the world’s population live in water stressed areas. Salinity Solutions’ CEO, Richard Bruges said: “We are excited to be working with Te-Tech as we scale up production to meet the demands of customers across a wide range of municipal and industrial water treatment applications including water re-use, ultrapure water production, mineral extraction, brine minimisation and effluent treatment. Te-Tech’s reputation and expertise in the municipal and industrial wastewater markets will provide us with the support and resources to grow our manufacturing and distribution and to rapidly accelerate the growth of the business that we started just two years ago.” Since it was founded, Salinity Solutions has raised over £1.5m from private sources and two rounds of funding on Crowdcube, where it smashed its target for fundraising. The University of Birmingham is an investor and shareholder, and the two parties continue to work closely together. One patent has already been granted and four more are in the pipeline. The company has held successful field trials with eco-mining company, Cornish Lithium and forthcoming customer field trials include municipal water, food processing and seawater desalination. ENDS  Notes to Editors: * Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a process where water purified by pumping it through a semi-permeable membrane. Conventional RO uses a lot of energy as the pumping energy is lost when the water passes through the membrane. Salinity Solutions’ technology more than halves the energy used through a patented combination of a pressure exchange vessel and advanced recirculation control, developed from theory to reality over 10 years of research at the Universities of Birmingham and Aston. About Salinity Solutions Salinity Solutions addresses the two biggest challenges in sustaining human life on earth – water and energy. The University of Birmingham spin-out, established in 2021, has developed a game-changing batch reverse osmosis water purification technology, which uses half the energy of traditional methods. Its patented, commercially viable solution is believed to be the biggest step forward in water treatment in 50 years and has the potential to benefit every corner of the globe - from industrial wastewater clean-up and high value mineral extraction to rural drinking water. https://www.salinitysolutions.co.uk/ About Te-Tech Process Solutions Te-Tech Process Solutions, as part of the Trant Group, is a fast-growing company providing innovative products using advanced process technologies for water and wastewater treatment. Te-Tech’s products are designed, manufactured and assembled off-site for rapid delivery, installation and commissioning. With in-house capability including process, mechanical and electrical design, digital engineering, operational optimisation and real-time control, Te-Tech has the flexibility to engineer bespoke systems to meet the exacting needs of clients in the municipal, industrial and commercial water and wastewater sectors. www.te-tech.co.uk Media Contact:   Jane Griffin, Salinity Solutions, email: [email protected] 

43

Game-Changing Water Treatment Technology to Become Commercially Available Across the World

44

Team Profile: Richard Bruges

Over the next few weeks, we will be introducing our team to you. We want you to meet the talented individuals who have turned 10 years of academic research into a ground-breaking water treatment product, with the potential to impact the water treatment industry on a global scale, helping to Treat Water Better. This week we are focusing on our CEO, Richard Bruges. Richard studied mechanical engineering at Edinburgh University and has spent most of his career working in commercial roles in large and small manufacturing businesses. He also holds an MBA from London Business School. He has spent the last decade working with engineering start-ups, helping them to commercialise their technologies. In 2020, Richard set up an investment company called Clean Engineering and its first investment was as the seed investor in Salinity Solutions when Tim Naughton led the spin-out from the University of Birmingham. Richard is now CEO of Salinity and is extremely proud of the progress the team has made taking an engineering technology from university research project into production in just two years. At home, now that his children have left home, Richard focuses his attention on nature and the local community, as a Parish Councillor, through his organic small-holding and the local conservation charity he recently co-founded. #team #technology #water #treatwaterbetter #engineering

44

Team Profile: Richard Bruges

46

Water treatment tech ‘biggest step forward in years’

A ground-breaking water purification technology is being hailed as ‘the biggest step forward in water treatment in 50 years’. Tim Naughton, chief technical officer at Salinity Solutions, invites water utilities to take part in field trials. Tim co-founded engineering tech start-up Salinity Solutions to provide a more sustainable, energy-efficient solution for water treatment. He first co-developed the process with Professor Philip Davies, Head of Water Technology Research at Aston University. The pair then moved on to the University of Birmingham, where the spinout company was created in 2021. In a world where 80% of wastewater is released untreated, Tim is passionate about his new process. He explains: “It uses a revolutionary new method of treating water called batch process reverse-osmosis. Reverse osmosis allows water to be purified by using pressure to push it through a semi-permeable membrane. “Batch process RO improves the efficiency using a pressure exchanger and recirculating the feedwater over the membrane. Using this method, we can desalinate, concentrate or purify water to very high recovery rates in a way that is at least 50% more efficient than traditional RO systems.” The system saves energy by varying pressure over time, reducing the average pressure of the process. As well as using 50% less energy than other methods, it typically purifies more than 95% of the wastewater. Tim adds: “Compared to other reverse osmosis (RO) technologies, it is also more compact and mobile. “Our technology offers a more energy-efficient and higher recovery (i.e., less waste) to treating municipal wastewater, providing a substantial cost-saving for water utility companies, particularly in the current climate of rising energy prices. “Although the demand for freshwater is on the increase, the world’s supply is steadily decreasing. Only 0.5% of the earth’s water is in the form of available fresh water and sources such as groundwater artesian wells are increasingly contaminated, so our technology could really help by treating wastewater and brackish water, providing a more viable and effective solution for water utility companies.” Professor Davies now acts as one of Salinity’s advisers, and believes the process is a major step forward in water treatment. He hopes that it will have an impact “in every corner of the globe, across every layer of society”. As well as treating municipal wastewater, other applications include providing ultrapure water for healthcare, retrieving valuable deposits from large industrial processes, phosphate and other nutrient removal from groundwater, and providing rural drinking water. Tim says: “So far, we have identified more than 20 sectors where it can be used. The technology is patented and we have an exclusive worldwide licence.” Salinity has run successful field trials with eco-technology company Cornish Lithium, and the company raised over £1.5m from private sources and two rounds of funding on Crowdcube, where it smashed its fundraising target. The University of Birmingham is an investor and shareholder, and the two parties continue to work closely together. Salinity aims to carry out more trials as Tim explains: “We are currently negotiating a field trial opportunity with a European municipal wastewater treatment company and discussing licencing deals with two Pan-European engineering companies for industrial wastewater treatment.” So, when will the technology be widely available for commercial use? Tim says, “Salinity’s products are currently at Technology Readiness Level 8 (i.e., the systems are complete and qualified) and are commercially viable. We are currently running field trials across a number of sectors including high-value mineral extraction, municipal wastewater and food processing and are due to start another field trial in April with a European automotive parts manufacturer. For each customer the core technology is the same, it is just optimised for their specific required application e.g., scale/recovery rate/energy consumption. “We would like to hear from water utility companies interested in participating in a field trial to demonstrate the energy savings and water quality improvements that our technology can deliver.” Contact [email protected] for details. Published by Water Industry Journal Wednesday, 08 March 2023

46

Water treatment tech ‘biggest step forward in years’

47

Team Profile: Liam Burlace MEng

Over the next few weeks, we will be introducing our team to you. We want you to meet the talented individuals who have turned 10 years of academic research into a ground-breaking water treatment product with the potential to impact the water treatment industry on a global scale, helping to Treat Water Better.   This week we are focusing on our Development Engineer, Liam Burlace MEng.    Liam’s background is in mechanical engineering, focusing on mechanical design and fabrication. As one of the early founders he offers a deep understanding of the core design of our technology, as well as having the hands-on experience of building these units.   His career highlight to date is helping to grow this technology from a rudimental, manually-operated system to the automated and remotely controlled product that we have today.  Outside of work his passions are live music, travelling and rugby.  You can find out more about Liam here: LinkedIn - Liam Burlace 

47

Team Profile: Liam Burlace MEng

48

Delivering the next generation of reverse osmosis

Tim Naughton, Chief Technical Officer at Salinity Solutions, discusses the company’s new solution In this Water Vlog, Tim Naughton, Chief Technical Officer at Salinity Solutions, discusses the company’s new industrial water treatment solution, designed to use half the energy of conventional RO systems and to treat up to 95% of the available water volume. There is huge potential to address both global water scarcity issues as well as many new industrial applications. https://youtu.be/DhqRkflbxYU Published by Water Magazine, February 23, 2023 About Salinity Solutions Salinity Solutions addresses the two biggest challenges in sustaining human life on earth – water and energy. The University of Birmingham spin-out, established in 2021, has developed a game-changing batch reverse osmosis water purification technology, which uses half the energy of traditional methods. Its patented, commercially viable solution is believed to be the biggest step forward in water treatment in 50 years and has the potential to benefit every corner of the globe - from rural drinking water to industrial wastewater clean-up and high value mineral extraction.

48

Delivering the next generation of reverse osmosis

49

Water Treatment Technology Start-Up Founder in UK Entrepreneur Watchlist   

Coventry, UK, Thursday, 24th November - Tim Naughton, co-founder of water treatment technology company, Salinity Solutions has been chosen for inclusion in the prestigious TechRound ‘29under29’ listing, which identifies and accolades the top movers and shakers amongst the UK’s young entrepreneurs.  Tim founded the engineering technology start-up in 2021 because he wanted to provide a more sustainable, energy-efficient solution for water treatment, in a world where 80% of wastewater is released untreated.     His passion for water treatment is founded in a very real concern: the demand for freshwater is on the increase while the world’s supply is steadily decreasing.  Only 0.5% of the earth’s water is in the form of available fresh water – and that’s the kind we need to survive.    Just three years ago Tim was an academic engineer at the University of Birmingham working alongside researcher Professor Philip Davies, Head of Water Technology Research. Tim first met Philip at Aston University while studying for his mechanical engineering degree, and together they co-developed a revolutionary new way of treating water using reverse osmosis – a process where water is cleaned by using press to push it through a semi-permeable membrane.    The pair then moved to the University of Birmingham, and it was from here that Salinity Solutions was created as a spinout company, with Tim as its Chief Technical Officer.       “I feel really honoured to be recognised in this list. However, I’d like to also recognise the University of Birmingham for helping me develop this technology together with my colleagues at Salinity Solutions for their help in getting it ready for commercialisation. Without their help none of this would have been possible.”  Salinity Solutions’ technology uses 50% less energy than other methods, typically purifies more than 95% of the wastewater and is much more compact - and portable - than existing technologies. Two patents have already been granted and more are in the pipeline.  Tim believes this is the biggest step forward in water treatment in 50 years and hopes that adoption of this technology will have an impact in every corner of the globe, across every layer of society – from rural drinking water to large industrial processes.   Since founding, Tim has led successful field trials with eco-technology company Cornish Lithium, and the company has raised over £1.5m from private sources and two rounds of funding on Crowdcube, where it smashed its target for fundraising.  The University of Birmingham is an investor and shareholder, and the two parties continue to work closely together.     ENDS Media Enquiries:   Jane Griffin, Salinity Solutions, email: [email protected] Ruth Ashton, University of Birmingham Enterprise, email: [email protected] About Salinity Solutions Salinity Solutions addresses the two biggest challenges in sustaining human life on earth – water and energy. The University of Birmingham spin-out, established in 2021, has developed a game-changing batch reverse osmosis water purification technology, which uses half the energy of traditional methods. Its patented, commercially viable solution is believed to be the biggest step forward in water treatment in 50 years and has the potential to benefit every corner of the globe - from rural drinking water to industrial wastewater clean-up and high value mineral extraction. About the University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 6,500 international students from over 150 countries.

49

Water Treatment Technology Start-Up Founder in UK Entrepreneur Watchlist   

51

Holy Grail? Why overfunding is vital for us.

We’d like say a huge thanks to everyone who has supported us so enthusiastically on Crowdcube these last few weeks. Not only will your investment allow us to access new markets for our product - including agriculture, food processing and electroplating - the overfunding will make a huge difference too. The more prospective customers we talk to, the more interest we get in our core technology. Increasingly the feedback is that we are a real disruptor in the Reverse Osmosis (RO) market. Just this week an international provider of water treatment products told us that our combination of ultra-high energy efficiency and ultra-high recovery is “the holy grail for an RO sales story”. And they aren’t the only ones to have noticed. Alongside your overfunding, market feedback is delivering a huge confidence boost to the business. All of this means that in conjunction with our product sales and marketing activity, we are able to build a robust IP strategy that will allow us to make the right deals, at the right time with the right parties. One route to maximise IP value is through sublicensing, and we are now in progressed discussions with a European engineering services provider to sell our system in specified geographies and/or for certain applications. Of course another way to maximise IP value is for it to be acquired outright. To deliver on our strategy it’s important we have the right team around us, so we were very fortunate this week to secure the services of an excellent IP manager, Allan Tibbatt. Alan has a combination of technical, business and legal qualifications and over 25 years’ experience in patents, trademarks and licences. Alan joins us from the technology transfer team at the University of Birmingham, where he of course became very familiar with the development of our batch RO technology. One of Alan’s first jobs will be to select a specialist IP legal firm to support us. Alongside the legals we need to maximise our exposure, so we are engaging a PR agency who specialise in supporting disruptive fast growth clean tech businesses. Thank you to the Crowdcube community for making these extra opportunities possible, we are very committed to rewarding your faith in us. To invest visit: https://www.crowdcube.com/companies/salinity-solutions/pitches/bvLrvl Investments of this nature carry risks to your capital. Please Invest Aware.

51

Holy Grail? Why overfunding is vital for us.

52

The Salinity Story in Numbers

1 European patent application granted yesterday. After 4 years we're no longer a patent pending company! 2 Multinational engineering companies interested in sublicensing our technology 3 million pounds in grantfunded R&D completed by University of Birmingham and Aston University 4% of the world’s electricity is consumed by water treatment! x5 concentration target set by Cornish Lithium to concentrate their lithium brine x7 concentration achieved in Cornish Lithium field trial 10 years of R&D at the University of Birmingham and Aston University <11 micro Siemens – the result of our test to create ultrapure water. The industry standard is <20 micro Siemens 17% of the current energy consumption our system would use compared to that of a comparable system used by a major high-volume dairy >20 industrial applications identified for our system, and counting 99% recovery achieved versus a target of 85% recovery set for us by a global water treatment player 4.9m pounds is the value of Salinity Solutions in the current investment round 18bn dollars is the size of the industrial wastewater treatment market forecasted by 2028 500bn dollars is the predicted size of the global water treatment market by 2028.

52

The Salinity Story in Numbers

53

Reverse Osmosis – did you know…?

- The reverse osmosis (RO) systems market is projected to witness a compound annual growth rate of 7.26% to grow to US$12.027 billion by 2026 from US$7.363 billion in 2019. - The market is expected to surge in the coming years due to the increasing prevalence rate of water-borne diseases, growing industrial applications, and the increasing number of manufacturing units, worldwide.  - According to the United Nations, the scale of water security investment is expected to surge at an exponential rate - global estimates range from US$6.7 trillion by 2030 to around US$22.6 trillion by 2050. To read the full report visit: https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2022/01/13/2366161/28124/en/Worldwide-Reverse-Osmosis-RO-Systems-Industry-to-2026-Rising-Water-borne-Diseases-are-Driving-Growth.html Salinity Solutions’ SAM50 (RO) system purifies wastewater and separates valuable minerals (eg lithium), using >50% less energy than conventional systems Our second funding round is live and we have already reached our target of £300,000. We will be keeping the round open for a few more days, so if you would like to invest please visit: https://lnkd.in/ezFvZtmD If you would first like to find out more about the company and the investment opportunity, please join our 45-minute webinar at which CEO Richard Bruges and CTO and Founder Tim Naughton will provide an overview of the Salinity business, share our ambitions and answer your questions. Time: 15th Sept 18.00. To register visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/414689526537 Investments of this nature carry risks to your capital. Please Invest Aware.

53

Reverse Osmosis – did you know…?

56

Why we need to treat water better

While we think of ourselves as residents of a blue planet, only 0.5% of the earth’s water is in the form of available fresh water. That’s the kind we need to survive. The supply of fresh water has been steadily decreasing while demand has been steadily rising. In the 20th Century, the world’s population quadrupled – but water use increased six-fold. In order for us to access this finite resource, a huge unseen global industry pumps, treats and redistributes water to homes, farms and factories. But only if you’re lucky enough to live in a country with adequate water supply. According to Unicef, half of the world’s population could be living in areas facing water scarcity by as early as 2025. The water industry consumes vast amounts of electricity – 978 trillion watthours (TWh) in 2020, which is 4% of the world’s total electricity consumption, or enough to power almost 500 million electric cars for a year (roughly half the number of cars on the planet). And this energy requirement is predicted to rise to almost 1500TWh by 2040. Meanwhile 80% of wastewater is released into the environment untreated. To improve the water quality of lakes, rivers and oceans more water treatment solutions are needed, which will in turn increase our energy consumption. And where does all this energy come from? Currently 80% of the world’s electricity is generated from fossil fuels. In order to get even close to the net zero goals of 2050, we need to improve the way we treat water while reducing the energy it uses. Part of the solution lies in better water treatment technologies, specifically ones that provide far greater energy efficiency and versatility.   At Salinity Solutions our aim to treat water better. After 10 years of development at Birmingham and Aston universities, our SAM50 system operates in a way that is over 50% more energy efficient than traditional high recovery reverse osmosis systems, offering significant savings in operational water treatment cost and carbon footprint. Plus our compact, mobile units are scalable for a wide range of applications. Founder and CTO Tim Naughton commented “We’ve recently completed successful field trials with Cornish Lithium and we’re now looking at a range of other water treatment applications, including industrial and agricultural. Our tests show that our system delivers 95% water recovery, or 20x brine concentration, for just 0.5kWh per tonne of feedwater, which is an industry game changer. We’re hoping to make a significant impact in a market projected to reach a value of 490 billion US dollars by 2029.” We are about to open our next funding round, launching on Crowdcube on September 8th. If you would like to get involved, please pre-register your interest here https://www.crowdcube.com/pre-reg/salinity-solutions (Investments of this nature carry risks to your capital. Please Invest Aware.) Sources:Wastewater market global size; Wastewater release; Energy consumption by water sector; World energy outlook; Volume of global car production; EV energy consumption: Fresh water; Fossil fuels; Water scarcity

56

Why we need to treat water better

57

First Salinity field trial yields positive results​

We’re pleased to announce that the results from our first field trial have been very encouraging. The trial was the first opportunity to test the SAM50 (Small and Mighty 50Bar) prototype unit outside of lab conditions. The unit, which remained on site for a fortnight, was able to concentrate Cornish Lithium’s brine by over five times concentration. The prototype unit has now arrived back in Coventry for inspection ahead of further testing in a few weeks’ time.​​“It’s been a great first trial of the unit in real world conditions. Five times concentration was our target and we’ve achieved it. The next stage is to ensure we can match high brine concentration levels with optimum energy efficiency. A huge thank you to Cornish Lithium who were wonderfully hospitable and supportive throughout our time on site,” said Tim Naughton, CTO and founder.​​Dr Rebecca Paisley, Exploration Geochemist at Cornish Lithium added “We’re pleased with the way this first trial has progressed and with the brine concentration levels that have been achieved. We look forward to continue working with the Salinity team as we plan for the next round of testing as soon as possible.” 

57

First Salinity field trial yields positive results​

All latest news

058

Salinity Solutions
Tyseley Energy Park
Fordrough
Yardley
Birmingham
B25 8DW
what3words: ///palace.guard.rail

© 2025 Salinity Solutions Ltd

Privacy policy | Cookies