Sustainable Clean Water Solutions
Startups like award-winning Pharem with Zymatic technologies - and an innovative team - are creating sustainable clean water solutions to help people and cities across the globe.
Climate change and water pollution are affecting access to clean water for people around the globe. The world is experiencing climate change, population growth, and water pollution.
As the world’s population continues to grow, communities and cities need affordable, plug-and-play solutions for their water treatment facilities.
Pharem has developed a solution for clean water, that has won a host of awards. Pharem was recently announced as the City Solution of the Year, as part of the 2021 QBE AcceliCITY Resilience Challenge.
We talked to Christian Ryen, COO and Co-Founder of Pharem to find out the work he and the team are doing to provide water treatment solutions.
Tell us about you, your career, how you founded or joined this company
Christian Ryen: I have a background in chemical engineering and started my career as a management consultant. As a consultant I worked mainly with deep-tech companies where I consulted and managed sustainability and efficiency projects. The time as a consultant gave my adaptability and a strong goal-oriented focus. In Pharem I act as the COO and have several responsibilities within sales, projects, production, quality, and product development.
Pharem was founded by Martin Ryen, CEO and Founder, and is based on the ideas from his research. He has a background in molecular biotechnology. Martin asked me to join the team short after he founded the company and we started to build it together from there. We complement each other in a very good way and share the same entrepreneurial mind-set.Tell us about your company
Christian Ryen: Pharem is clean technology company with an advanced biotechnology division and is leading the enzymatic revolution for a sustainable water treatment. The company has developed the treatment technology, Zymatic, which is applied to treat organic pollutants in various water environments.
The technology allows Pharem to apply various treatment mechanisms onto a sand-like material which very easy to install and to operate. This allows more to engage in treatment of organic micro-pollutants and to accelerate the adaption to a more sustainable treatment overall.
What is the problem/opportunity to be solved? What is your vision?
Christian Ryen: After perfecting the use of chemicals, all waters are considered polluted with organic pollutants. We have even found organic pollutants in the soil of the Mariana trench.
Organic pollutants are bio-active molecules, which cause great harm to eco-systems when they are released to our waters. Organic pollutants can be antibiotics, plastic chemicals, pesticides, PFAS and many more.
The negative effects we see:
- Animal populations are dying out,
- Drinking water sources are made useless, and
- Negative effects on human health
If the SDG goals ever going to be reached there must be a shift in how the world is looking at treatment of organic pollutants.
The challenge here is that many treatment technologies out there are complex and requires huge investment- and operational budgets. This is not suitable for many Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs) and industries, which then are hesitant to apply necessary treatment to reduce the release of these organic micro-pollutants. Instead of acting now, many have no choice but to push the problem forward.
With Zymatic, Pharem presents a technology that are breaking these barriers. Our vision is that everyone should be able to apply proper treatment so that we start reducing the severe negative effects that we see from the release of organic pollutants to our water.
How does your product/solution address the problem?
Christian Ryen: Despite the advanced technology used to create the Zymatic products, our customers are presented with a sand-like material. It addresses several problems and which in general terms can be summarized as complexity, costs, and flexibility.
Zymatic removes complexity as is as simple to install and operate as any sand-like material. This suit small and large WWTPs as they want compact, easy to use solutions without adding unnecessary work-related risks.
With Zymatic, our customers gave a unique possibility to select a cost structure which suits the customer the best. The installation of the systems is fairy simple and is already don at low costs when compared to older technologies.
Additionally, Zymatic replace the sand-like material which gives room for optimizing the operational costs. There is no other technology who have this room for customization.
Finally, Zymatic facilitates enzymes which gives an amazing flexibility when it comes to applying treatment mechanisms to water treatment. Many older technologies rely on one single treatment mechanism which comes with a very particular challenge: They cannot add new treatment mechanisms. In simpler terms, this means that if their treatment technology can ́t treat the organic compound, they will not be able to do so.
Our society is continuously creating new organic chemicals to be used in products and this creates a need for technologies who can adapt to future needs. Zymatic can, when new compounds are introduced and needed to be treated, change the enzyme composition to also include these compounds. This can be achieved, without jeopardizing the agreed cost-structure.
Who are your customers/target market?
Christian Ryen: Zymatic presents solutions for municipal wastewater treatment plants (Zymatic SMART & PRO) and customized solutions for various industries (Zymatic INDUSTRY)
Having our headquarters in Sweden, our initial focus market is Europe. However, Pharem has many initiatives going on internationally.
Do you have plans to do business with cities in the U.S.? If so, what cities?
Christian Ryen: Yes, Pharem have plans to do businesses with cities sin US. Organic micropollutants is a global challenge and there are some worrying reports even from the US.
The need for treatment of organic micropollutants is present for all cities so there is not really a preference. If Pharem had the right to choose, small-medium sized WWTPs would be targeted initially, with a outspoken wish and need to protect the local waters.
What is the serviceable market? Can your product/solution be expanded globally?
Christian Ryen: This is an already huge market, and it is growing fast. Taking Europe as an example, Pharem ́s initial estimation of the EU market is that it would reach towards 80-100 BUSD on a yearly basis.
What are some success stories?
Christian Ryen: We have several awards and recognitions. We have placed as one of the top three companies in the EU Top 50, being part of the Blue invest initiative, landing customer projects with large pharma-companies and so on.
The single largest achievement would be that Pharem successfully, and thoroughly, verified the Zymatic technology on an industrial level through a large-scale project funded by EU Horizon 2020. All major goals were achieved, and we had the opportunity to Install and verify the technology, its infrastructure and cost structure on various WWTPs in Sweden and the Netherlands.
Have you had any lessons learned?
Christian Ryen: Yes, many lessons learned, and we could sit for hours to talk about them.
For new-tech or deep-tech companies:
Do not underestimate customer validation, even in an early stage. Decide upon the MVP goal for your product/tech/service and include this in your budget. Call the potential customers and discuss your ideas and what you want to achieve. If you have a product that could solve their problems or save them money, it is a great chance that they want to create a project with you.
For founders and entrepreneurs:
You will have very low lows, and very high highs. Spend your energy and time to maximize the successes and don ́t waste them to much on the setbacks. As entrepreneurs we are problem-solvers, so keep the eye on your vision and target.
Tell us about your team.
Christian Ryen: The management team consists of myself (COO), Maria Humble (CTO) and Martin Ryen (CEO). We complement each other very well and have showed over and over that we deliver in the goals we set up for ourselves and the company. We are frontrunners in the fields of applying enzymes on water treatment and we have all a problem-solving mindset.
Our Board consist of Simon Angeldorff, Svante Horn and Mathias Johansson. They are all owners and have various experiences as CEOs, entrepreneurs, investors etc.
How does your company innovate?
Christian Ryen: Enzymes are amazing and we have developed methods on how to select enzymes based on what kind of treatment mechanisms our customers need. Its truly an amazing process which we are continuously improving over time.
The innovation process is about identifying the treatment need (organic compound, water quality and environment etc.) from our customers and from there develop the enzyme treatment technology based on these needs.
Who are your competitors? What makes you a better choice?
Christian Ryen: Our competitors are other treatment technologies targeting the same problems Zymatic is addressing. This could be advanced oxidation (Ozone, H2O2 etc.), adsorption (Active Carbon) and some other technologies.
We are the more flexible and sustainable choice and in the long run, this will make more apply the proper treatment needed.
What is your professional and educational background?
Christian Ryen: Chemical Engineering with specialization into Industrial economics.
What made you first interested in sustainable solutions?
Christian Ryen: All my life I have been close to Nature. Growing up in Sweden I spent many hours in the forest, fishing and hiking etc. I believe that this is laid the very foundation of my passion for water sustainability.
In the early days of my career, I worked as a management consultant and was lucky enough to be involved in projects and deep-tech companies focusing on sustainability. This developed my very strong interest in sustainable solutions, but also working towards efficiency and finding cost-efficient solutions for products and services.
All this played a huge role for my interest in sustainable solutions. From the very start, Pharem have developed the technology, products, and solutions with sustainability in mind. This have suited my interests very well.
I believe that we must find a landscape of technologies which presents solutions which do not create barriers for smaller and medium customers. We must present options where everyone can do something.
What do you like most about helping people, businesses, and the environment?
Christian Ryen: I really like the idea that everyone can do something for the environment. No one can do everything, so let ́s focus on the things we can do as individuals and businesses.
Any advice for students that want to someday create a start-up?
Christian Ryen: Oh, I have many, but let’s focus on early stage.
Don ́t be afraid to talk to your target customers. Try to identify customers that are willing to do small-scale projects with you. You will get first-hand feedback and an early customer validation is very, very valuable.
The beginning of a start-up is about creating valuable opportunities and try to land these opportunities. Therefore, it is so important to surround yourself with forward-driving people, who can maximize the impact from these opportunities. Do the homework on how to create a strong team suited for your start-up.
You only need to secure one opportunity to get things started, so don ́t be so hard on yourself for getting declined 90% of the times. Its part of the start-up journey.
Think long-term in your financial plans and start securing the finances ahead of time. The worst time to raise funds is when your war-chest is empty.
Try to attract investors with a strong understanding that you are in fact a start-up and would in some time need to raise more money either to accelerate or to develop the products further. At least one of the early investors should be able to help you raise more funds. That way you can focus on the business, creating more value and opportunities.
You are chasing your vision and dream, so don ́t forget to have fun on the journey as well. Celebrate your achievements!
Read more about Pharem at: https://www.pharem.se
Paul Douglas, Contributor
Paul Douglas is passionate about helping people, businesses, and communities. As GovOneStop CEO and Founder, his vision is to improve the quality of life globally through better awareness and easier access to government and related non-profit information, resources and services.