Metal Morph raises GBP £700,000 for wastewater chemical reuse

Metal Morph has raised GBP £700,000 in a pre-seed funding round co-led by Sustainable Ventures and Green Angel Ventures.

The London-based company will use the funding to develop technology that recovers aluminium- and iron-based treatment chemicals from municipal and industrial wastewater for reuse.

Metal Morph aims to address a growing problem for water utilities and industrial operators as costs rise and supply chains for key inputs come under strain. Its system is designed to recover chemicals that would otherwise be discharged to sewer, sent to landfill or spread on land, and return them to the treatment process.

Initial testing in more than 50 live trials at three drinking water treatment plants found the system recovered 90% of spent treatment chemicals at 95% purity, according to the company. The tests also showed a 26% reduction in coagulation-related operating costs and an 89% reduction in emissions linked to coagulant procurement.

Other backers in the round included Aqcelerator and Found Capital. Metal Morph has partnerships with six UK water utilities, covering 56% of the UK water market.

The company has also secured a GBP £100,000 grant from Ofwat, with a further GBP £450,000 available if it meets specified milestones.

Founder story

Metal Morph was founded by Moletsane Mophethe, who said his experience of water scarcity while growing up in Lesotho shaped the company's direction.

"Growing up in a place where access to clean water was uncertain instilled within me an appreciation of how fragile access to essential resources can be. With Metal Morph, I want to help change that reality. Water infrastructure is one of the most overlooked industrial supply chains in the world. By harnessing them correctly, we are fundamentally reshaping the supply of essential chemicals to reduce the cost of water production," said Mophethe.

Since incorporating in 2025, the business has built a team of nine spanning resource recovery, water infrastructure, commercialisation and scaling. Staff bring experience from organisations including Arup, Bloomberg, British Water, Deep Science Ventures, Imperial and Stanford.

The first product focuses on recovering spent coagulants used in water and wastewater treatment. Later work will examine the recovery of standalone metals from industrial wastewater and mining tailings.

Investor view

Investors pointed to pressure on utilities and industrial groups to reduce costs and emissions while improving security of supply.

"Metal Morph addresses a critical blind spot in municipal and industrial infrastructure. Deployed successfully, the team will transform water and wastewater treatment processes into active resource recovery facilities, creating a brilliant circular economy in the process. It's an urgently needed solution to an increasingly complex problem," said Josh Armistead-Wood, Investor, Sustainable Ventures.

Green Angel Ventures said the company's early traction reflects a broader shift in the water sector.

"The early interest in Metal Morph reflects the growing pressure on water utilities and industrial operators to curb rising costs while improving sustainability. The company's differentiated process enables the recovery of essential materials at high purity, with the potential to deliver meaningful commercial and environmental benefits across the water sector and beyond," said Cam Ross, Chief Executive Officer, Green Angel Ventures.

The company has also won recognition from industry bodies. Mophethe received the Royal Academy of Engineering's Leaders in Innovation Fellowship, while Metal Morph was named a finalist in the Royal Society of Chemistry's Emerging Technologies competition.

The new funding is expected to support further pilots and validation work with water utilities and industrial partners as the company moves from laboratory testing towards industrial deployment.

Its discussions now extend beyond Britain. The company said it has held talks with Belgium-based water utility Aquafin following investment in the round by Aqcelerator, the utility's corporate venture arm.

Combined with its utility partnerships and regulator funding, the round gives Metal Morph backing as it seeks to show that wastewater treatment plants can serve not only as disposal sites, but also as a source of reusable industrial materials.