SKion Water is a global provider of water and wastewater treatment solutions for the municipal sector as well as various industrial sectors.
Since 2011, the business has been building a portfolio of companies that leverage diverse technological expertise in water treatment – ranging from data-driven catchment management to plant construction and maintenance, and digital services.
SKion Water invests in water technology companies if their respective technology is a fit with the portfolio’s goals and values: delivering resource-efficient solutions that help customers reduce their water footprint and achieve their sustainability goals.
“It’s important that individual sectors or challenges shouldn’t be considered in isolation,” says Lea Hennemann, Process Engineer at SKion Water.
A collaborative, cross-company approach to problem-solving has propelled SKion Water’s latest pilot project forward. Drawing on the expertise of three of the 14 companies in the group – up2e!, Cembrane, and EnviroChemie – SKion Water has developed an innovative method to purify water from the Rhine in Germany.
The modular solution efficiently and cost-effectively treats river water to meet drinking water standards. At the core of the process is the plant’s membrane chamber, where ozone-treated water is filtered through silicon caribide (SiC) ceramic membranes.
“Cembrane’s ceramic membranes are very stable and chemically resistant – in combination with ozone, they remove contaminants and retain viruses, bacteria, and microplastic,” says Klaus Dickhoff, Senior Process Engineer at SKion Water.
The demonstration plant can be easily relocated to different sites or regions to test concepts before full-scale implementation. It is also well-suited for rapid deployment in situations where emergency water purification is required.
Headquartered in Bad Homburg, near Frankfurt, Germany, SKion Water’s portfolio includes operating subsidiaries and technology investments that span Europe, Asia, and North and South America.
The Rhine water pilot plant is just one example of how SKion Water and its portfolio companies work collaboratively to improve the water cycle. Even greater impact can be achieved when water is recycled locally, immediately after use.
If an industrial facility treats water immediately and recycles it back into its operations, it can significantly reduce the demand for freshwater resources.
“Water recycling has the potential to significantly reduce the demand for freshwater, thereby protecting our natural water resources,” says Hennemann.
SKion Water’s portfolio companies are driving sustainable water solutions across various sectors. For example, ELIQUO Technologies tackles sustainability challenges in municipal sewage sludge processing with its Vacuum Degassing Technology (ELOVAC), which helps to reduce carbon emissions and improves dewaterability of sludge. SKion Water subsidiaries SouthWestSensor and inCTRL Solutions join forces to deliver solutions that optimize the energy consumption of wastewater treatment plants, combining real-time sensor data with algorithmic optimization processes.
“To achieve a truly sustainable future, we must adopt a holistic perspective and find solutions that work for one sector while considering other environmental objectives,” says Hennemann.
By protecting water resources through entrepreneurship, SKion Water aligns with SDG 6, which aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
Just one square meter of SKion Water’s ceramic membrane can produce 300 liters of drinking water every hour – equivalent to the daily supply for 60 people.