Xylem and Gross-Wen Technologies Forge Commercial Partnership to Advance Industrial Wastewater Treatment Solutions
Gross-Wen Technologies (GWT), a provider of advanced wastewater treatment technologies, has announced a new commercial partnership with Xylem, marking a significant step toward expanding integrated treatment solutions for the industrial wastewater sector. The collaboration is designed to address growing global challenges in nutrient pollution, tightening discharge regulations, and increasing demand for sustainable water management practices across industrial operations.
The agreement positions Gross-Wen Technologies to accelerate its expansion into industrial markets where operators are under pressure to improve effluent quality while also optimizing operational efficiency and reducing environmental impact. By aligning with Xylem, a globally established leader in water infrastructure and treatment systems, GWT gains a stronger platform to scale its patented nutrient removal technology across a broader range of industrial applications.
At the core of the partnership is the integration of complementary technologies. Xylem brings its established expertise in anaerobic treatment systems, which are widely used in industrial wastewater applications to reduce organic loading and generate energy recovery opportunities through biogas production. Gross-Wen Technologies contributes its proprietary Revolving Algal Biofilm™ (RAB™) system, an innovative nutrient removal technology that uses algae-based biofilms to capture and remove excess nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater streams.
Together, the companies aim to deliver a more comprehensive, end-to-end wastewater treatment solution that addresses multiple stages of industrial effluent management. While anaerobic systems are highly effective at breaking down organic material, nutrient removal has increasingly become a regulatory focus in many regions due to its role in waterway eutrophication. By combining these two approaches, the partnership seeks to provide industrial operators with a more complete and compliance-ready treatment pathway.
A key factor supporting this collaboration is the proven compatibility of the two technologies in real-world applications. Both companies were independently selected for a major industrial wastewater project in Pasco, Washington, where their systems were deployed to meet stringent state nutrient discharge requirements. Although they were not formal partners at the time, the project demonstrated how their respective technologies can operate in sequence to deliver enhanced treatment performance.
In that deployment, Xylem’s anaerobic treatment platform was used to manage high-strength organic waste streams, significantly reducing biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and producing energy-rich biogas as a byproduct. Following this stage, Gross-Wen Technologies’ RAB™ system was implemented to target residual nutrients, ensuring that discharge water met strict environmental standards. The success of this independent yet complementary deployment provided strong validation for a more structured commercial partnership.
The Pasco project has since become a reference point for both organizations, illustrating how integrated systems can be scaled to meet increasingly complex regulatory requirements. As nutrient discharge limits tighten across North America and other regions, industrial operators are seeking solutions that go beyond single-technology approaches. The demonstrated synergy between anaerobic treatment and algal-based nutrient removal offers a scalable model that can be adapted to a wide range of industrial sectors, including food and beverage processing, agricultural waste management, and bioenergy production facilities.
Leadership from both companies emphasized the strategic importance of the partnership in addressing evolving market demands. Martin Gross, founder and chief executive officer of Gross-Wen Technologies, described the agreement as a transformative milestone for the company’s growth trajectory.
“This partnership is a transformational step for Gross-Wen Technologies,” Gross said. “By combining our nutrient removal technology with Xylem’s industry-leading wastewater treatment solutions, we can help industrial facilities meet evolving water quality and sustainability goals. We are excited about what we can accomplish together as we bring new solutions to a rapidly changing water market.”
His comments reflect a broader industry shift toward integrated water treatment strategies that combine multiple processes to achieve higher levels of efficiency and compliance. Increasing regulatory scrutiny on nutrient pollution has created urgency among industrial operators to adopt advanced treatment technologies that can reliably meet discharge limits while maintaining cost-effectiveness.
From Xylem’s perspective, the partnership reinforces its commitment to expanding integrated and sustainable water solutions for industrial customers. Bob Wenta, senior director of customer verticals at Xylem, highlighted the practical insights gained from the Pasco project and the benefits of formalizing the collaboration.
“We saw firsthand through the Pasco project how our technology and GWT’s nutrient removal platform complement each other,” Wenta said. “By formalizing our partnership, we can streamline delivery of integrated solutions and better serve industrial customers seeking reliable, compliant, and sustainable wastewater treatment options.”
The commercial agreement is expected to enhance coordination between the two companies, enabling more efficient project deployment, system integration, and customer support. It also signals a broader trend within the water technology sector toward collaboration between specialized technology providers, rather than reliance on single-system solutions.
For industrial customers, the partnership offers potential advantages in both performance and operational simplicity. Instead of sourcing and integrating multiple independent treatment systems, operators may now benefit from a coordinated solution that combines anaerobic digestion, energy recovery, and advanced nutrient removal within a unified framework. This approach not only supports regulatory compliance but also aligns with corporate sustainability goals, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved resource recovery.
The collaboration also reflects growing recognition of algae-based technologies as a viable and scalable component of modern wastewater treatment infrastructure. GWT’s Revolving Algal Biofilm™ system represents a biologically driven approach that leverages natural nutrient uptake processes, offering an alternative or complement to conventional chemical or mechanical nutrient removal methods.
As industries face increasing pressure to reduce environmental footprints, partnerships such as this one between Xylem and Gross-Wen Technologies are expected to play an important role in shaping the next generation of wastewater treatment solutions. By combining proven industrial treatment systems with innovative biological technologies, the companies aim to support a transition toward more resilient, efficient, and sustainable water infrastructure.
Ultimately, the partnership underscores a broader shift in the water sector: moving from isolated treatment technologies to fully integrated systems designed to address multiple environmental and regulatory challenges simultaneously. With industrial demand for advanced wastewater solutions continuing to grow, the collaboration positions both companies to expand their impact and deliver scalable solutions to a rapidly evolving global market.
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