Tech challenge spotlight: nafura advanced technologies
“Winning the Tech Challenge has dramatically accelerated our development cycle and process.”
-Harry Brooksbank, Nafura founder and CEO
Winning The Water Council’s Tech Challenge comes with a $10,000 prize, but the rewards are much greater than that, according to previous winners. In the coming weeks, we will profile the three winners of our spring 2025 Tech Challenge. The challenge sought innovations in three categories selected by our corporate sponsors, A. O. Smith Corporation, Badger Meter, Watts Water Technologies and Xylem.
Nafura Advanced Technologies, based in the UK, won in the category of removal of organic contaminants in water. Learn more about Nafura below in an interview with Harry Brooksbank, founder and CEO.
We launched our fall Tech Challenge, focused on water quality, on Sept. 2. We will hold a virtual Q&A about the challenge on Sept. 16. Click here to register.
Tell us about your innovation.
Plasma has been under investigation for use in water treatment for many years. Thermal plasma already has a history in solid waste disposal practices through plasma gasification. Our goal is to apply this same principle to aqueous wastes for water treatment.
By essentially burning/mineralizing contaminants out of the water, we hope to create a compact and high-speed method of wastewater treatment. Initially, our plan is to bring this to market by offering a means of improved treatment capacity and system resilience. Our device will be deployed as a supplementary add-on technology, rather than replacing current systems and infrastructure. This would allow industrial clients to increase production in places that would otherwise be limited by footprint, time or cost constraints. It will also enable new producers to begin water treatment in urban environments where space is at a premium and help avoid the high costs of relying on municipal treatment services.
We are targeting chemicals, food and beverage, and other sectors with complex and difficult waste streams and footprint constraints. We plan to pursue a comprehensive pilot program throughout 2026 and 2027 and will engage with customers to acquire waste transfer agreements to test and demonstrate feasibility.
Why did you enter the Tech Challenge?
We were recommended to apply for the challenge by colleagues in the Water Innovator Alliance. We knew winning the challenge would foster connections with The Water Council (with its years of experience and finger on the pulse of water innovation) and new potential partnerships across the world. On top of that, we knew that the prize money would be hugely valuable to help us push our development forward.
We felt our innovation was a good fit because we are specifically targeting the removal of organic contaminants from wastewater, ultimately to enable better reuse and recycling in industry. While many water technologies have offered incremental improvements, we feel that ours is a dramatic step forward in terms of meeting needs of producers in this sector.
How does winning the Tech Challenge affect your innovation?
Winning the Tech Challenge has dramatically accelerated our development cycle and process. The prize money has helped us purchase specific equipment and testing apparatus, which has enabled us to progress at a faster pace. Additionally, the recognition from this award will help us demonstrate credibility to prospective customers and investors.
All in all, winning the Tech Challenge has been and will continue to be a major boost to the momentum of our company and project. We are incredibly grateful to The Water Council.