Industry & Business

Irish wastewater Aeration company, OxyMem, was named for the second time in the prestigious 2017 Global Cleantech list 100 in San Fransisco on Tuesday.  OxyMem, a University College Dublin (UCD) spin-out company and the only Irish company to make this list, is commercialising the Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor (MABR) technology, an innovative solution to reduce costs for wastewater treatment.

The Global Cleantech 100 represents the most innovative and promising ideas impacting the future of a wide-range of industries. Featuring companies that are best positioned to solve tomorrow’s clean technology challenges, the Global Cleantech 100 is a comprehensive list of private companies with the highest potential to make significant market impact within a 5-10 year timeframe.

OxyMem CEO Wayne Byrne, said, “To be recognised for the second year running in the prestigious Global Cleantech 100 company is real validation of our efforts over the last 4 years. This highlights, to a highly conservative water market, a value proposition that makes OxyMem the stand out contender in energy efficient wastewater treatment.”

OxyMem was co-founded by Wayne Byrne, Professor Eoin Casey and Dr Eoin Syron in 2013 as a spin-out from UCD’s School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering.

This list is collated by combining proprietary CTG research data, with weighted qualitative judgments from hundreds of nominations, and specific inputs from a global 86-person Expert Panel. To qualify for the list, companies must be independent, for-profit, cleantech companies that are not listed on any major stock exchange.

This year, a record number of nominations were received, 9,900 distinct companies from 77 countries. These companies were weighted and scored to create a shortlist of 325 companies. Shortlisted nominees were reviewed by CTG’s Expert Panel, resulting in a finalised list of 100 companies from 17 countries.

“Sustainable Nation is helping to mobilise Irish talent, capability and business sector to beat the global 2oC target,” said Sustainable Nation Ireland Director, Aideen O’Hora. “We are continually impressed by the quality of companies and entrepreneurs responding to this global challenge. Having initially nominated OxyMem for this honour in 2015, we are delighted that they have again received this accolade. OxyMem is to the fore in developing game-changing solutions with global application, and I believe they are setting the bar for other Irish companies to join the prestigious Cleantech 100 list.”

The 86-member expert panel was drawn equally from leading financial investors and representatives of multi-national corporations and industries active in technology and innovation scouting across Asia, Europe, and North America.

The composition of the expert panel broadly represents the global cleantech community, from pioneers and leaders to veterans and new entrants. The diversity of panelists results in a list of companies that command an expansive base of respect and support from many important players within the global cleantech innovation ecosystem.

“Cleantech Group CEO Richard Youngman said: “Now in its 8th year, we see more signals this year of the ongoing mainstreaming of clean technologies, sustainability, and resource efficiency on its journey towards the point where this is just the normal way business is done.” 

OxyMem currently operates a 25,000 square foot facility and offices in Athlone, Co. Westmeath, to manufacture the OxyMem Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor and the company also has an office at NovaUCD, the Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs at UCD.

The complete list of 100 companies was revealed at the 15th annual Cleantech Forum held earlier this week in San Francisco. https://i3connect.com/gct100/the-list