NZ cleantech company Cetogenix secures NZ$23 million UK project to support commercial-scale deployment of Ceto-Boost™
Anglian Water-led Ofwat-funded programme will accelerate the commercialisation pathway of Cetogenix’s hydrothermal oxidation platform for future bioresource management.
A groundbreaking Rotorua-based company turning organic waste into valuable resources is a step closer to taking its technology global after the company and its commercial partners secured NZ$23 million industry co-investment through a water innovation programme in the United Kingdom.
The project, led by UK utility Anglian Water through the UK water regulator Ofwat’s Water Breakthrough Challenge Transform Stage 2 programme, will support the commercial-scale demonstration and commercialisation pathway of Cetogenix’s advanced bioresource management technology.
The initiative, titled Hydrothermal Oxidation – Futureproofing Bioresource Management, brings together a consortium of leading organisations including Anglian Water, Cranfield University, Severn Trent Water, Northumbrian Water, AtkinsRéalis, and Cetogenix.
The programme aims to demonstrate a new approach to biosolids and digestate management using hydrothermal oxidation (HTO), nutrient recovery, and circular resource recovery systems. The technology has the potential to significantly reduce biosolids volumes, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, recover valuable nutrients such as ammonia and phosphorus, and address emerging contaminants including PFAS and microplastics.
The project follows several years of collaborative research and development between Cetogenix and UK water sector partners and represents a significant step toward commercial deployment of the Ceto-Boost™ platform within the United Kingdom.
Dr Trevor Stuthridge, CEO and co-founder of Cetogenix, said the successful funding outcome represented a major milestone for both the company and New Zealand deep technology commercialisation internationally.
“This isa major milestone not only for Cetogenix, but for New Zealand deep technology commercialisation internationally.
The UK water sector is facing increasing pressure around biosolids management, emissions reduction, and emerging contaminants such as PFAS and microplastics. This project enables us to demonstrate that Ceto-Boost™ can provide a commercially scalable solution to these challenges while unlocking valuable renewable resources from waste streams. And it sets the stage for broader commercial roll-out of our technology across multiple international sectors and geographies”
The United Kingdom has emerged as a strategic early market for Cetogenix due to increasing regulatory pressure around biosolids management, Net Zero targets, nutrient recovery, and circular economy objectives.
Cetogenix Chief Science Officer, Dr Daniel Gapes, says the successfulprogramme bid builds on previous collaboration with its United Kingdom partners and represents a critical step toward commercial rollout of the technologyinternationally.
“It validates more than 15 years of technical development – from itsgenesis in the New Zealand public research ecosystem, to the Cetogenix founding team working towards using science and innovation to address some of theworld’s biggest climate and energy resilience challenges.
“This is further evidence that Aotearoa-developed innovation can compete on a global stage and help address some of the world’s most pressing economic and environmental needs,” Dr Gapes says.
The funded programme will progress the integrated HTO and nutrient recovery system from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 toward TRL 9 through full-scale operational demonstration between 2026 and 2029.
As part of the project, Cetogenix will work alongside UK-based partners to support scale-up, system integration, and future deployment planning for the technology within the UK water sector. The project also supports the establishment of UK-based manufacturing and operational capability to support future commercial deployment opportunities.
The successful funding outcome further strengthens Cetogenix’s growing international profile following recent collaborations with UK water utilities, research institutions, and global industrial partners focused on renewable carbon, waste transformation, and circular resource recovery technologies.
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About Cetogenix
Cetogenix is a New Zealand-based climate technology company developing advanced waste-to-resource systems focused on transforming complex organic wastes intorenewable carbon products, renewable natural gas, recovered nutrients, and other valuable outputs.
Its flagship platform, Ceto-Boost™, uses hydrothermal oxidation to process organic waste streams while reducing emissions, destroying contaminants, and improving resource recovery outcomes.
Cetogenix is headquartered in Rotorua, New Zealand.
Media enquiries
Trevor Stuthridge
Chief Executive Officer
Cetogenix Limited
Email: trevor.stuthridge@cetogenix.co.nz
Phone: +6421 587 092
