Turning wastewater from a liability
into a resource
Surface-engineered materials that prevent struvite fouling, recover valuable nutrients, and displace carbon-intensive fertilizer production.
A $1M/year headache hiding valuable resources
Modern agriculture depends on nitrogen and phosphorus — produced through highly carbon-intensive processes. Ironically, these nutrients already exist in wastewater but are treated as a costly nuisance.
Struvite Fouling
Nitrogen and phosphorus naturally precipitate as struvite — a hard mineral scale that clogs pipes, damages equipment, and causes unplanned shutdowns.
$1M Annual Cost
Utilities spend up to $1 million per plant per year on chemical dosing, reactive maintenance, and struvite-related equipment damage.
Carbon-Intensive Status Quo
Nitrogen fertilizer production consumes ~2% of global energy. Phosphorus comes from energy-intensive mining. Current solutions are wasteful or offset climate benefits.
Controlling how and where struvite forms
Struva takes a fundamentally different approach. Rather than suppressing struvite formation or forcing systems into narrow operating windows, we control crystallization at the material interface.
Surface-Engineered Janus Particles
Instead of letting struvite crystallize randomly on infrastructure, we localize formation onto surface-engineered Janus seed particles, so struvite grows only where it can be safely recovered.
Localized Chemistry, Not Bulk Control
By tuning surface chemistry, our particles create localized conditions that trigger crystallization without changing the chemistry of the entire stream — unlocking crystallization even under sub-optimal conditions.
Retrofit-Ready Integration
Our particles integrate directly into existing infrastructure. Most plants already separate solids, so our particles can be recovered, reused, and cycled without major retrofits.
Nutrient Recovery as a Service
We provide fouling mitigation and nutrient recovery as a service. We manufacture and supply our particles, then recover the struvite and sell it into fertilizer markets — closing the nutrient loop.
How the Janus Particle Works
Our asymmetric particles feature two distinct hemispheres. One side is impregnated with a hydrogel swollen with a basic solution, enabling slow release of hydroxide and a localized pH increase near the particle surface.
This decreases struvite solubility in the immediate vicinity, allowing struvite to preferentially nucleate and grow on the remaining exposed porous surface — under conditions where bulk crystallization would otherwise be unfavorable.
- ✓No bulk pH control required
- ✓Works under sub-optimal conditions
- ✓Recyclable & reusable particles
- ✓Integrates with existing infrastructure
- ✓Low energy consumption
Dual impact: inside and outside the plant
Struva reduces chemical and energy use inside treatment plants while displacing emissions-intensive virgin phosphate production downstream.
Reduce Plant Emissions
Lower chemical dosing and energy use inside treatment plants reduces operational carbon footprint.
Displace Virgin Production
Recovered struvite directly displaces carbon-intensive phosphate mining and synthetic fertilizer production.
Value on both sides of the ecosystem
Struva replaces existing struvite mitigation costs rather than adding new ones, generating revenue from both utility services and downstream fertilizer sales.
Wastewater Treatment Plants
Medium-to-large municipal plants where struvite fouling is most severe and budgets already exist to address it. We replace their existing $500K–$1M annual spend with a more effective, lower-cost service.
Fertilizer Producers
Recovered struvite is sold as raw input into the fertilizer supply chain, linking wastewater infrastructure to the global fertilizer market projected to exceed $285B by 2032.
From lab validation to municipal deployment
A clear 12–18 month path from laboratory optimization to pilot-scale deployment with municipal partners.
Particle Optimization
Refine particle formulations to maximize durability, reuse, and consistent performance in real wastewater. Optimize surface chemistry and hydrogel release rates.
Bench-Scale Validation
Evaluate optimized particles through controlled benchtop testing using simulated and real wastewater sidestream samples.
Municipal Pilot Deployment
Secure pilot partnerships with 1–2 municipal wastewater treatment plants and deploy particles in active sidestreams using existing infrastructure.
Scale-Up & Commercial Readiness
Develop scalable particle manufacturing processes, implement quality control protocols, and file intellectual property. Position for early commercial deployments.
Built at the intersection of materials science, water infrastructure, and climate systems
Samantha Ouyang
- •Dual-degree in Materials Science & Engineering and Entrepreneurship at University of Pennsylvania
- •Former Team Canada member at the International Chemistry Olympiad; ranked #1 worldwide in competitive chemistry
- •10+ years of research in water infrastructure challenges across the food–water–energy nexus
- •Founded first funded climate startup at 16; experience in climate VC and regenerative farming
Daniel Wang
- •Ivey School of Business, Western University — specializing in entrepreneurship
- •Founding Operations Lead at a YC-backed startup; experience deploying real-world infrastructure
- •Won the largest collegiate hackathon; invited to demo at IIT Bombay Techfest
- •Founded Western University's first Green Bin program with municipal stakeholders
Dr. Simon Richter
Expert in climate adaptation and sustainability, deeply involved in the Penn Climate community.
Partner with Struva
Whether you're a wastewater utility, engineering firm, investor, or researcher — we'd love to connect and explore how we can work together.
Utilities
Pilot our technology at your plant
Investors
Fund the future of nutrient recovery
Researchers
Collaborate on materials science