HydroPhos Solutions

HydroPhos Solutions is a circular economy company that addresses water pollution and phosphorus depletion. The company was founded in 2022 by a group of friends, including Jason Plant and Daisy Burns, after winning their university's social venture innovation competition. What began as an idea in a dorm room, inspired by an ecology class, gained momentum after winning national competitions, including first place and the Global Impact Award at e-Fest 2022.

The company's core business involves installing proprietary carbon-based filtration systems at wastewater treatment plants. This technology extracts phosphorus from wastewater, a process that mitigates eutrophication—the harmful over-enrichment of water bodies with nutrients. The system has demonstrated up to a 97% removal rate in lab tests. The captured phosphorus is then repurposed into a slow-release fertilizer. This creates a closed-loop system, recycling a crucial, non-renewable resource essential for agriculture.

HydroPhos Solutions operates in the environmental services, CleanTech, and AgTech sectors. Its business model serves wastewater treatment facilities by helping them meet regulatory requirements and potentially lower operational costs. By selling the resulting fertilizer byproduct, the company establishes a secondary revenue stream and contributes to a more sustainable food supply chain. The company has raised $170,000 in non-dilutive funding and has participated in accelerator programs like Techstars.

Keywords: phosphorus recovery, wastewater treatment, circular economy, nutrient recovery, sustainable fertilizer, eutrophication control, water pollution, AgTech, CleanTech, resource reclamation, slow-release fertilizer, social venture, chemical filtration, environmental services, carbon-based filters, nutrient management, water technology