Clean Technology Companies in Singapore You Should Know About

Clean technology, also known as cleantech or greentech, is a catch-all term that refers to a range of technologies and practices that improve the environment and champion sustainability. Financial media site Investopedia reports that the term was first coined in the American financial sector and became popular in the 1990s, thanks to Nick Parker and Keith Raab, who founded research and consultancy company Cleantech Group in the early 2000s.

Singapore is known as one of the states leading the cleantech innovation in Asia. The government considers the clean energy industry as a strategic growth area, and has gone on to secure investments in the sector, namely in manufacturing, engineering, biofuels, and research and development. Various cleantech companies and startups in Singapore also share in this mission. Here are four you should know about!

EcoWorth Tech Pte. Ltd.

This Singapore-based company is dedicated to treating wastewater by commercialising a sustainable technology called "Carbon Fire Aerogel" (CFA). Developed at Nanyang Technological University, the technology is a highly absorbent, non-toxic, natural, and recyclable material made from cotton or wastepaper. It can remove organic contaminants from wastewater, which can be reused or released in the environment without any hazards.

EcoWorth has bagged numerous awards for its technology, one of which was being named winner in the Energy and Environmental category by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in 2020. EcoWorth's Chairman Dr. Bert Grobben is an executive with 15 years' worth of experience working for multinational companies like Procter & Gamble and Avery Dennison.

SunGreenH2

This award-winning company is committed to affordable green hydrogen production in its creation of the world's highest performance electrolysers with its own patented platform technology. Electrolysers made from SunGreenH2's materials "increase production and decrease energy consumption without using expensive platinum group metals."

Founded by Tulika Rej and electronic engineer Dr. Saeid Masudy Panah, SunGreenH2 not only produces electrodes and components for electrolysers, but also an innovative electrolyser with "50% less stack capex cost and footprint," as well as modular direct solar to hydrogen panels. As per a report by Tech in Asia on Aug. 19, SunGreenH2 raised US$2 million in a seed funding round by venture capital firm SGInnovate.

Kinnva

This sustainable synthetic biology startup focuses on biotech, feedtech, foodtech, agritech, and cleantech, with fermentation technologies to produce biochemicals and materials for food, feed, nutraceuticals, and cosmetics, among others. Its Kinnfeed protein serves as an alternative organic feed not just for fish, but also for livestock and pet nutrition. It has five innovative products, namely KinnFeed Aqua, KinnFeed Terra, KinnFeed Companio, KinnFeed Plus, and KinnFeed Homeo.

DiviGas

Founded by Andre Lorenceau and Dr. Ali Naderi, this cleantech startup has invented a new way to separate and purify hydrogen with a polymeric membrane called Divi-H Apart. Divi-H, unlike other market membranes, can perform in high acidity feed (high CO2, H2S) and in higher temperature. 

According to DiviGas, the membrane can be used for the "recovery, separation and purification of feedstock" and the "pre- or post-treatment of feed..." Divi-H is resistant to plasticisation and aging and will just have "a gradual minor reduction of a few percentage performance" after it has been used for years. DiviGas is supported by the government's SGInnovate, hardware accelerator HAX, and other investors.