PFAS sensing, Ecolab’s big bet and playmakers: the signals to watch
PFAS sensing is heating up—but still waiting for a true breakthrough. Dr. Kim Wu joins to explore a market set to hit $480M by 2026, with field-based sensors potentially swelling to $750M by 2030. Demand is surging, regulations are tightening, yet no real-time solution exists. Kim points to electrochemical sensing paired with AI as the most promising pathway, while early players like Sense and Puri are racing prototypes into the field .The discussion then turns to one of the year’s biggest water deals: Ecolab’s $2.4B acquisition of Ovivo’s electronics division. More than a balance sheet move, it’s a play on ultrapure water for semiconductors and AI infrastructure. With a single fab consuming as much water annually as 17 million people, the deal solidifies Ecolab’s push into one of the most water-intensive growth arenas of the decade .Innovation is also bubbling up in patents. A standout this month: USP Technologies’ filing for coagulants derived from drinking water treatment residuals—repurposing waste streams into circular solutions for sewer biofilm control and clarification. A reminder that incumbents too are finding fresh ways to close the loop .Looking ahead, Lily Chen lays out a packed second half. Screenings of Our Blue World stretch from Dubai to Philadelphia, Ghent, and Osaka. BlueTech Unplugged teams up with Apple in New York and Vortex in Dubai. September also brings web briefings on PFAS sensing, the launch of a mini-series with Lux Research, WEFTEC’s Innovation Pavilion, and the reveal of BlueTech’s new website.Join us for the following briefings:10th September: Web Briefing PFAS Sensing. Register here30th September: Breakfast Briefing at WEFTEC in Chicago. Register here--Presented by BlueTech Research®, Actionable Water Technology Market Intelligence. Watch the trailer of Our Blue World: A Water Odyssey. Get involved, and learn more on the website: braveblue.world
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Potable reuse goes global. And Political.
BlueTech's TAG expert Dr. Sebastien Tillman joins Rhys and Divya to unpack a wave of projects in places as unexpected as Belgium and the UK, challenging the “it rains here” mindset. The driver? Not just technology, but trust. Public outreach remains the decisive factor between a flagship success and a stalled proposal.The long-standing “RO is the gold standard” stance is giving way to new thinking. Carbon-based advanced treatment – using ozone and biological activated carbon – is gaining ground as a safe, effective alternative, with several US states writing it into regulation. The shift signals a maturing market where water quality, cost, and scalability share the stage. Potable reuse is emerging as both a trust benchmark in science and infrastructure and a pragmatic, bipartisan solution – embraced in blue California and red Texas alike.Sebastien points to Spain as the ultimate flagship opportunity: a water-stressed nation currently prohibiting direct potable reuse, where overturning regulatory barriers could set a powerful global precedent. He sketches three likely future models for reuse – high-quality defacto reuse in wet regions, desalination-plus-reuse for arid agricultural economies, and direct potable reuse for water-scarce urban centers – and offers C-suite strategies from R&D priorities to acquisition opportunities.Also in this episode: AI’s leap from analytics to action. Emerson’s Ovation Virtual Advisor offers utilities an on-call digital operations guru; H2OK Innovations raises $12.4M to scale AI-driven inline spectral sensors; CASPR AI accelerates materials R&D timelines from decades to years. In patents, Evoqua claims PFAS destruction via plasma at the air–water interface with nano bubbles – an emerging technology to watch.Coming up: our PFAS Sensing Technologies report and web briefing, the WEFTEC Top 100 Abstracts review, the BlueTech Client Breakfast Briefing in Chicago, and a deep dive on graywater recycling regulations.--Presented by BlueTech Research®, Actionable Water Technology Market Intelligence. Watch the trailer of Our Blue World: A Water Odyssey. Get involved, and learn more on the website: braveblue.world
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From CO₂ to CPUs: what net zero and AI are doing to water
Did you know there are at least 16 different ways to capture carbon—and some of them actually generate water? Others, however, could increase water consumption at power plants by up to 30%. In this episode, Rhys and Divya unpack the complex relationship between water and carbon capture technologies, where scale-up is accelerating and trade-offs are becoming harder to ignore.They also turn their focus to AI: data centers powering tools like ChatGPT are guzzling up to 5 million gallons of water a day. Every prompt has a footprint—and it’s not just digital. From ceramic membranes in Memphis to new cooling metrics like WUE, the discussion surfaces the hidden water costs of decarbonisation and digitisation alike.Both topics are the subject of upcoming BlueTech web briefings, where the team will go deeper with invited experts. And as always, there’s a full research report available for each—covering the data, players, and technologies shaping these fast-evolving sectors.1️⃣ Carbon Capture and Water:Join the web briefing here and download the report here2️⃣ The Water Footprint of AIRegister for the web briefing here and access the report here--Presented by BlueTech Research®, Actionable Water Technology Market Intelligence. Watch the trailer of Our Blue World: A Water Odyssey. Get involved, and learn more on the website: braveblue.world
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Water efficiency: the next frontier in cooling tech
Dr Vishal Wagholikar joins Rhys and Divya to break down findings from his new Horizon Scan on cooling technologies. As data centres grow more power-hungry, water use is emerging as a blind spot—and a growing concern. The trio unpacks liquid cooling breakthroughs, water use effectiveness metrics, and shifting industry priorities. If you’re in cooling, water, or digital infrastructure, don’t miss this. The full report is now available on the BlueTech Intelligence platform. Download here or request access.--Presented by BlueTech Research®, Actionable Water Technology Market Intelligence. Watch the trailer of Our Blue World: A Water Odyssey. Get involved, and learn more on the website: braveblue.world
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From PFAS to atmospheric water: industry shifts in January 2025
January 2025 brought significant changes to the water industry. From extreme weather events affecting Cork, Australia, and LA, to the EPA's withdrawal of proposed PFAS limits following the new Trump administration. Bluetech will host a press briefing on the implications of these PFAS regulatory changes, particularly for biosolids management.New research reportsBluetech's latest research covers critical water sector challenges: stormwater management with digital and nature-based solutions, innovations in water conveyance addressing aging infrastructure, and advances in water treatment materials. The team has also analyzed emerging contaminants beyond PFAS, forecasting future regulatory trends.Atmospheric Water Generation: a market in transitionThe atmospheric water generation (AWG) market has evolved beyond its niche origins, now exceeding $100 million in revenue with projected growth to $800 million by 2030. New industrial applications are emerging, from carbon capture dehumidification to heat recovery from industrial airstreams. The sector has seen rapid growth in both technological advancement and market participants, suggesting an approaching market maturation.Upcoming eventsPFAS Press Briefing with Dr Paul O'Callaghan, Jacob Steele, Dr Ali Ling, and Dr Glen Daigger on February 11th: register here.Join Bluetech's web briefing on Atmospheric Water Generation on March 6th, featuring Dr. Kim Wu and industry expert Roland Walgren. Register here.--Presented by BlueTech Research®, Actionable Water Technology Market Intelligence. Watch the trailer of Our Blue World: A Water Odyssey. Get involved, and learn more on the website: braveblue.world
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Ireland