Jury has selected relevant applications

“Through the Water Challenge, we gain access to a wide range of external expertise and fresh ideas from various fields. The Water Challenge, therefore, plays an important role in further developing sustainable water solutions at K+S,” emphasizes Mathias Hübner, Head of New Business Areas at K+S.

Pilot projects are being initiated with seamoretech and ResourSEAs to evaluate their respective technologies. Both companies aim to extract valuable minerals from saline waters, adding value to them in this process.

Further discussions are being held with finalist Alice Mackenzie from Imperial College London regarding the subsequent of solid salt by-products. This could potentially lead to a collaboration and a pilot project.

Amovion, a start-up and spin-off from RWTH Aachen University, uses innovative technology to extract valuable minerals from saline waters, similar to seamoretech and ResourSEAs. Further discussions on the proposed technological approaches will be held with Amovion as well.

The Water Challenge is a joint initiative by ROOTCAMP and K+S. As part of the competition, startups, small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), and universities were invited to submit sustainable and innovative solutions for dealing with saline waters in three different sub-areas. Almost 100 innovative applications were received for one of the three sub-challenges. Notably, numerous startups, SMEs, and universities contributed their ideas, which is particularly pleasing. This achievement demonstrates the successful realization of the goal of making the challenge as broad as possible.

We make an important contribution to society: We enable farmers securing the world's food supply. Our products keep numerous industries running. We enrich consumers' daily lives and ensure safety in winter. With around 11,000 employees, production sites on two continents, and a global distribution network, we are a reliable partner for our customers. At the same time, we are realigning ourselves: We are focusing even more strongly than before on fertilizers and specialties. We are becoming leaner, more cost-efficient, more digital, and more performance-oriented. On a solid financial basis, we are tapping into new markets and business models. We are committed to our responsibility towards society and the environment in all regions in which we operate.