Profile Type: Technology offer

POD Reference: TOFR20260428025

Term of Validity: 28 April 2026 – 28 April 2027

Company’s Country: France

Type of partnership: Commercial agreement with technical assistance

Targeted Countries: All countries

General information

Short Summary

A French SME active in soils and water treatments offers a chemical reduction solution to eliminate the chromium VI in water at neutral pH through the addition of ascorbic acid under control of the pH and of the redox potential. The treatment could be complete by filtration on activated carbon if needed. The company offers commercial agreement with technical assistance.

Full Description

Chromium VI is one of the 6 most dangerous pollutants in the world, 16 million people are involved and 3 million lives per years are lost due to this pollution. The chromium VI is used in industrial sectors as tanneries, metal processing, stainless steel welding, chromate production and the manufacture of chromium pigments. Those industries generate or have generated polluted waters and polluted materials / soils.

The chromium VI is extremely toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic. It causes cancers, skin allergies and affects the DNA replication and transcription. There are regulatory frameworks which specify the limits maximum acceptable in terms of chromium VI concentrations in water (for example: the French national health safety agency specifies less 6 µg/l in WIHC) and in soils.

The French SME proposes a patented process to treat the chromium VI in the water. This consist in:
1) Controls and treat if necessary, the suspended solids and the pH of the water. The TSS (Total suspended solids) must be under 100 mg/ and pH must be below 7,0.
2) Perform the chemical reduction of the chromium VI to chromium III through the addition (and mix) of a chemical reducer : the ascorbic acid. The dosage of the reducer is controlled by the redox potential evolution which characterizes the chemical reduction evolution. The chromium III is a natural trace element which is not toxic for human and the environment. The oxidation of the chromium III to chromium VI is not possible in the natural environment.
3) If needed, the water can be treated through an activated carbon filter to adsorb the chromium III and decrease the concentration in total chromium (chromium VI + chromium III).

Chromium6free technology could also be used to treat materials contaminated with chromium VI. This consists in mixing the materials with water to dissolve the chromium VI into the water. As the chromium VI is highly soluble, this treatment is extremely efficient. Then the water is treated following the chromium6free process to be reuse in closed loop.

Chromium6free technology could also be used to treat soils and phreatic groundwater through sending water and ascorbic acid into the ground for an in-situ remediation.

The performances get with the chromium6free solution are over 99% of chromium VI eliminated.

Advantages and Innovations

The main advantages of the chromium6free technology are:
– Ecofriendly solution, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is a noble product which does not generates pollution unlike other alternatives like sodium bisulfide or ferrous oxide.
– Safe solution: Non-toxic. The treatment can be performed at a neutral pH without acid chemicals products
– Cheaper solution in terms of consumables unlike treatments with ion exchange resins.
– Achieves higher conversion rate
– Selective treatment => Reduce only the oxidized metals
– Automatised solution / Easy to pilote
– Mobile on-site => containerized station (small footprint ; plug and play equipment) and / or in-situ remediation
– High availability in any territory
– Well-proven technology
– Patented innovation

Stage of Development

• Already on the market

Sustainable Development Goals

• Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
• Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
• Goal 15: Life on Land

IPR status

• IPR granted

Partner Sought

Expected Role of a Partner

Partners are sought to integrate the technology in wastewater (or soils) treatment projects and applications:
• Engineering companies
• Sales partners / distributors

Type and Size of Partner

• Big company
• SME <=10
• SME 50 – 249

Type of partnership

• Commercial agreement with technical assistance

Dissemination

Technology keywords

• 10002012 – Remediation of Contaminated Sites
• 10004001 – Industrial Water Treatment
• 10002011 – Soil and Groundwater Pollution
• 10004003 – Wastewater Recycling

Market keywords

• 09008002 – Water, sewerage, chemical and solid waste treatment plants
• 08004004 – Other pollution and recycling related
• 09007004 – Engineering and consulting services related to construction
• 08004003 – Water treatment equipment and waste disposal systems

Targeted countries

• All countries