Clean TeQ Water and Enva Deliver First Commercial PHOSPHIX® Operating Reference Plant in Europe

• Delivered in partnership with Enva, Clean TeQ Water has successfully completed commissioning and contractual performance testing of its first full-scale commercial PHOSPHIX® phosphate removal plant in Europe.
• All treated water samples analysed by Enva’s laboratory, accredited by INAB to ISO 17025 under Reg. Scope 185T, returned phosphate concentrations ten times better than the contractual requirement of 1 mg/L. The plant also demonstrated hydraulic capacity above design.
• This completion milestone establishes the Company's first commercial operating reference for PHOSPHIX® and provides a platform for future European growth.

Enva and Clean TeQ Water Limited (ASX: CNQ) are pleased to announce the successful completion of commissioning and contractual performance testing for the first full-scale commercial PHOSPHIX® phosphate removal plant, delivered in partnership in Ireland.

The achievement represents the commercial deployment of Clean TeQ Water's PHOSPHIX® technology following several years of laboratory development, pilot testing and engineering. It establishes the Company's first operating reference plant for PHOSPHIX® and its first commercial reference installation in Europe.

The project, originally announced on 15 November 2024, was designed to remove phosphate from industrial wastewater generated by Enva's end-user, a multinational pharmaceutical manufacturer, ahead of tightening European discharge regulations.

The contractual performance demonstration was completed following a continuous ten-day operating test during June 2026, extended by mutual agreement from the original five-day test period to accommodate variations in feedwater flow and composition.

Water samples analysed by Enva’s laboratory, accredited by INAB to ISO 17025 under Reg. Scope 185T,confirmed phosphate concentrations below 0.1 mg/L P-PO₄, exceeding the contractual specification of 1.0 mg/L by more than tenfold. Online analysers closely matched the INAB accredited  laboratory results. All treated water quality specifications, including pH, total nitrogen and chemical oxygen demand, were achieved.

The plant also exceeded its contracted hydraulic throughput while automatically staging and de-staging ion exchange trains in response to varying feed flows.

The plant is designed to operate at 99% water recovery and produces no liquid brine, instead recovering phosphate as a solid hydroxyapatite by-product that can be handled and disposed of safely and cost-effectively. The project has been delivered in accordance with the contracted scope and marks the successful transition of the PHOSPHIX® technology from laboratory test work and on-site piloting through detailed engineering to full operational deployment.

The successful completion of this project demonstrates Clean TeQ Water's capability to design, supply and commission complex moving bed ion exchange treatment plants at full commercial scale. More importantly, it provides prospective customers with a fully operational European reference plant for evaluation, significantly strengthening the Company's ability to convert its growing project pipeline into future commercial contracts.

The revised European Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive and increasingly stringent industrial discharge limits are expected to drive significant investment in phosphorus removal and recovery over the coming decade. The successful delivery of the Enva project positions Clean TeQ Water to participate in this growing market with a proven commercial reference installation.

Peter Voigt, Clean TeQ Water CEO, said: 

“Today's announcement marks the successful commercial deployment of PHOSPHIX® at full industrial scale, consistently delivering phosphate concentrations well below contractual requirements while exceeding design throughput.

Equally important, we now have an operating European plant that provides prospective customers with a proven commercial operating reference. A successful operating reference plant provides prospective customers with confidence in the technology's performance under full-scale operating conditions.

PHOSPHIX® is another application of our proprietary moving bed ion exchange platform and further demonstrates the versatility of this technology across water treatment, resource recovery and critical minerals.

We thank Enva for their outstanding partnership and look forward to building on this success as we pursue further opportunities across Europe."

Kieran Staunton, New Business Director, Enva, said:

“The successful handover of this plant marks an important milestone in our partnership with Clean TeQ Water and highlights the value of strong collaboration, innovative technology and operational expertise.

Working closely with our customer throughout the project, we have delivered the first full-scale Phosphix tertiary phosphate recovery plant in Europe, demonstrating how advanced treatment solutions can help industrial customers achieve their environmental objectives while providing operational certainty.

Building on this achievement, we look forward to supporting more customers with sustainable treatment solutions that improve environmental performance and help meet evolving regulatory requirements.”

PHOSPHIX® further demonstrates the breadth of applications possible using Clean TeQ Water's proprietary MBIX® platform, joining DESALX®, HIROX®, BIONEX® and CLEAN-IX® as commercial implementations of the technology.

The Company is actively pursuing additional PHOSPHIX® opportunities across Europe with both industrial and municipal customers and believes the successful commissioning of the plant in Ireland, delivered in partnership with Enva, will materially strengthen future opportunities.

About PHOSPHIX®

PHOSPHIX® is Clean TeQ Water’s continuous ion exchange process for the removal and recovery of phosphate from industrial and municipal wastewater. Built on the Company’s proprietary Moving Bed Ion Exchange (MBIX) platform, the process uses a phosphate-selective resin to reliably reduce phosphorus to below 1 mg/L, regenerates the resin with a recyclable brine, and precipitates the recovered phosphate as hydroxyapatite, a dewaterable calcium phosphate solid with potential for beneficial reuse.

The advantages of PHOSPHIX® include very high water recovery (~99%), no liquid brine discharge, a small volume of solid by-product in place of the large volumes of sludge produced by conventional ferric or alum dosing, low operating cost, and fully automated operation. These characteristics provide a significant operating cost and waste handling advantage over conventional chemical treatment approaches.

Wastewater regulation in Europe is undergoing a significant tightening, driven by the revised EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive and increasingly stringent nutrient discharge limits for industrial and municipal dischargers. Reliable removal and recovery of phosphorus is central to this transition, and PHOSPHIX® provides operators with a proven, low-waste route to compliance.

About Clean TeQ Water Limited (ASX: CNQ)

Clean TeQ is a global technology leader headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, specialising in providing economic and environmentally sustainable solutions to address critical issues related to freshwater scarcity, mine tailings, and metal recovery. Clean TeQ's core markets include water and wastewater recycling, lithium production, and the remining and rehabilitation of mine tailings. These markets reflect a commitment to addressing environmental challenges and promoting responsible resource management. The company has a presence in various locations, with offices in Melbourne, Darwin, Leeuwarden (Netherlands), Beijing, and Tianjin. Additionally, Clean TeQ has established partnerships in Africa and Latin America, showcasing its commitment to addressing global challenges and collaborating with stakeholders on an international level.

For more information about Clean TeQ Water please visit www.cleanteqwater.com. 

Working in Partnership

The Enva and Clean TeQ Water partnership has progressed from laboratory test work and on-site piloting through to the delivery of this first full-scale PHOSPHIX® plant, and continues to pursue further industrial and municipal water treatment opportunities across Ireland and the UK.

Enva promotes Clean TeQ Water’s water treatment solutions in Ireland and the UK under a cooperation agreement.

For further information on the project and water solutions, please contact us using the Contact Us form.