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Executive Summary: Which are the Top 10 New Desalination Companies to Watch in 2026?

  1. Second Life RO (UAE): Regenerates reverse osmosis (RO) membranes using chemical treatment to restore salt rejection efficiency for wastewater, mining, and irrigation applications.
  2. GUIAA (Argentina): Provides chemical-free desalination systems using humidification–dehumidification (HDH) processes that separate brine into clean water and concentrated minerals.
  3. Cetos Water (USA): Delivers membrane-less desalination through solvent extraction that selectively absorbs freshwater from hypersaline brines for solvent reuse.
  4. Aestuarium (Netherlands): Employs biotechnology by engineering bacteria that absorb salts and ions from seawater while reducing CO2 emissions in the process.
  5. Blue Hybrid Solutions (Turkey): Develops floating seawater reverse osmosis platforms powered by renewable energy for coastal and island communities.
  6. Ocean Reviver (USA): Offers nanoscale entropic desalination that removes salts and recovers rare earth elements (REEs) for sustainable freshwater production.
  7. Renew Aqua Tech (UK): Integrates solar and wind power with smart membrane technology to prevent biofouling and extend desalination system lifespan.
  8. Separation Membranes Innovation (Saudi Arabia): Builds nano-composite ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membranes for energy-efficient, recyclable water treatment.
  9. DriftPure (India): Provides solar desalination via its HelioJal system using Fresnel lens condensation to deliver electricity-free freshwater in rural areas.
  10. Qalzam (Saudi Arabia): Implements zero liquid discharge (ZLD) solutions that convert brine rejects into disinfectant chemicals while reducing toxic by-products.

Global Startup Heat Map highlights New Desalination Companies to Watch

Through the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering over 9M+ startups, 20K+ technology trends, plus 150M+ patents, news articles & market reports, we identified the top advanced desalination technology companies.

The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights emerging desalination startups you should watch in 2026, as well as the geo-distribution of 300+ startups & scaleups we analyzed for this research.

According to our data, we observe high startup activity in the USA and India, followed by the UK. The top 5 Startup Hubs for Advanced Desalination Technology are Dubai, London, Mumbai, New York City, and Singapore.

 

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New Desalination Companies & Startups to Watch [2026]

We hand-picked startups to showcase in this report by filtering for their technology, founding year, location, funding, and other metrics. These emerging advanced desalination technology startups work on solutions ranging from biotechnology for desalination and solar desalination to nanoscale entropic desalination and RO membranes with stabilized salt rejection.

1. Second Life RO – Reverse Osmosis Membranes with Stabilized Salt Rejection

  • Founding Year: 2023
  • Location: Ras Al Khaimah, UAE

UAE-based startup Second Life RO offers regenerated RO membranes with stabilized salt rejection. It uses chemical treatments to restore used membranes.

 

 

The refurbished 2L-SW8040 membranes possess high rejection similar to seawater RO membranes. This is suitable for applications that require the removal of monovalent ions. 2L-HR8040 membranes combine high rejection and low energy properties to treat brackish waters.

Moreover, the membranes have high permeability to monovalent ions. This suits the removal of divalent ions or larger molecules. This makes the membranes suitable for second-life applications in wastewater treatment, irrigation, mining, landfill leachate treatment, and more.

2. GUIAA – Custom Desalination Plants

  • Founding Year: 2024
  • Location: Canadon Seco, Argentina

Argentinian startup GUIAA enables chemical-free water desalination. It leverages the thermodynamics-based humidification and dehumidification technology. This causes condensation of a moisture-rich gas stream.

The process separates brine into clean water and concentrated mineral fluid. It operates in low temperatures and atmospheric pressure to improve energy efficiency.

The tech also eliminates the need for chemical additives, filter units, or semipermeable membranes. It promotes eco-friendliness by not producing harmful by-products.

3. Cetos Water – Membrane-less Desalination

  • Founding Year: 2024
  • Location: New York City, USA

USA-based startup Cetos Water provides desalination of hypersaline brines from commercial processes. It develops a membrane-less, non-evaporative solvent extraction technology.

The proprietary solvent selectively absorbs freshwater molecules from concentrated wastewater. This eliminates salts, contaminants, and minerals. A mild temperature shift releases freshwater and regenerates the solvent. This leaves mineral-rich brine for recovery.

The company produces fit-for-purpose water for agricultural, energy, extractive, and industrial processes. This way, it provides a sustainable solution for freshwater scarcity.

4. Aestuarium – Biotechnology for Desalination

  • Founding Year: 2023
  • Location: Maastricht, Netherlands

Dutch startup Aestuarium employs synthetic biology to convert seawater to freshwater. It bio-engineers bacteria to absorb salt and other ions from the surrounding liquid.

Moreover, the bacteria utilize atmospheric carbon dioxide to grow. This process reduces greenhouse gas emissions. It also eliminates the need for conventional energy-intensive and fossil fuel-dependent desalination.

5. Blue Hybrid Solutions – Floating Seawater RO Platforms

  • Founding Year: 2024
  • Location: Istanbul, Turkey

Turkish startup Blue Hybrid Solutions provides floating RO platforms for seawater purification. The company deploys offshore and supports renewable energy sources like solar panels and wind turbines.

The platforms’ RO technology removes salt and other impurities from the water. It provides hotels, resorts, municipalities, and industrial facilities with clean water without harming marine ecosystems. The tech also supports remote and island communities by providing a dependable freshwater supply.

 

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6. Ocean Reviver – Nanoscale Entropic Desalination

  • Founding Year: 2025
  • Location: Irvine, California, USA

USA-based startup Ocean Reviver offers a nanoscale entropic desalination technology. Its desalination process removes salts and impurities from seawater and brackish sources.

The technology also removes rare earth elements from water, thus supporting sustainable resource recovery. This promotes a fresh water supply for municipalities, industries, and agricultural users.

7. Renew Aqua Tech – Renewable Water Treatment Technology

  • Founding Year: 2024
  • Location: Manchester, UK

UK-based startup Renew Aqua Tech works on water desalination and purification using membrane and filtration technology. This method removes contaminants while preserving mineral content.

Its BioSense Detector sensor detects biofouling in the water treatment plant, BioClear Reactor, in real time. This extends the life of desalination and filtration units. Another product, BioGuard Shield, acts as a protective coat against biofouling.

Further, the startup integrates solar and wind energy into the water treatment plant. This enables operation in off-grid areas. It also recaptures and reuses wastewater and enables circular water management.

8. Separation Membranes Innovation – Nano-Composite Membranes for Desalination

  • Founding Year: 2025
  • Location: Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabian startup Separation Membranes Innovation develops nano-composite membranes for water desalination, brackish water treatment, and industrial filtration.

Its ultra- and micro-filtration (UF/MF) membranes serve pre-treatment and industrial water. The nanofiltration (NF) membranes remove specific ions and soften water with minimal pressure. This makes the process energy efficient and reduces resource consumption.

The nanotechnology-based RO system enhances salt rejection, water flux rates, and chemical resistance. It reduces biofouling tendencies. The system also utilizes recyclable materials to eliminate plastic waste in water treatment. Renewable energy integration and green manufacturing practices further aid sustainability.

9. DriftPure – Solar Desalination

  • Founding Year: 2024
  • Location: Mangalore, India

Indian startup DriftPure converts seawater into drinkable water using renewable energy. Its HelioJal System offers solar-powered desalination using Fresnel lens condensation and a heat exchange system. The process leaves only salt and minerals as residue, eliminating chemical waste.

Through its solution, the startup addresses the over-extraction of groundwater and reduces reliance on external supplies. Working without electricity, it provides freshwater access to rural and coastal communities.

10. Qalzam – Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) System

  • Founding Year: 2024
  • Location: Thuwal, Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabian startup Qalzam generates sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) on site from brine reject in desalination plants via its Ultra Chlor system. It reduces the transportation risk and storage needs of hazardous chemicals.

The startup’s chlorine dioxide (ClO2) generation system acts as a water disinfectant and reduces the formation of toxic chemical by-products like trihalomethanes (THMs). This reduces undesirable taste or smell in the desalinated water. The chlorine analyzer further provides smart monitoring of disinfection processes.

This benefits potable water networks, treatment facilities, and agricultural users with lower operational and environmental costs.

Discover All New Desalination Companies

The 10 advanced desalination solutions showcased in this report are only a small sample of all startups we identified through our data-driven startup scouting approach. Download our free Industry Innovation Reports for a broad overview of the industry, or get in touch for quick & exhaustive research on the latest technologies & emerging solutions that will impact your company in 2026!