NANOSTONE WINS THE 2026 AURA AWARD FOR MORE SUSTAINABLE WATER TREATMENT

HALBERSTADT, Germany and BOSTON, Mass., July 21, 2026 — Nanostone Water GmbH, part of Acuriant Technologies, Inc., has received the 2026 AURA Award from the Ministry for Science, Energy, Climate Protection and Environment of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Presented by Minister Prof. Dr. Armin Willingmann on July 17 at the company's production site in Halberstadt, the award recognizes Nanostone’s achievements in developing and manufacturing advanced ceramic ultrafiltration technology that enables more sustainable water treatment.

The AURA Award honors companies whose innovations make a measurable contribution to sustainability, resource efficiency and climate protection. Nanostone's contribution is measured. Lifecycle analysis submitted with the award application shows a 38 percent lower carbon footprint than conventional filtration. In daily operation the membranes use less energy and fewer treatment chemicals, and the modules last two to three times longer, so water operators replace fewer of them over a plant's life. The newest module generation, CUF|Flow™, treats up to 40 percent more water in the same installed space, so a new plant of the same capacity needs less concrete and less land.

For Acuriant, the value of the award sits in who granted it and how it was judged. The ministry independently assessed the lifecycle evidence and reached its own conclusion, giving customers confidence that the sustainability benefits are supported by objective evidence.

“Source water will keep getting harder to treat, and the requirements for treating it responsibly will keep rising," said Jürgen von Hollen, CEO of Acuriant Technologies, Inc. "The membrane that stands up to the most demanding source water is also the one with the lowest environmental cost over its life, because in ceramics, durability and sustainability come from the same engineering. The award confirms that vision, and we will keep investing in the innovation behind it.”

Climate change is making the water arriving at plant intakes less predictable, while population growth is increasing demand for treated water. Storm runoff and algae blooms arrive with little warning, and raw water temperatures fluctuate more widely between seasons. Nanostone’s ceramic ultrafiltration technology was built for exactly these conditions and keeps treatment dependable as raw water quality becomes more variable. In many source waters, it can also eliminate the need for separate, space-consuming pretreatment steps. That reliability and efficiency make sustainable treatment practical.

“This award belongs to our team in Halberstadt," said Dr. Christian Göbbert, Nanostone's Chief Technology Officer. "Every figure in the lifecycle analysis is their work: less energy, fewer chemicals, years of extra membrane life. That same team is already developing the next generation of membrane technologies, ensuring we continue to lead through innovation.”