Wicklow based company H2Ozone has raised €3m to fund international expansion as it looks to grow export sales of its chemical-free water purification technology. The Enterprise Ireland-backed start-up has just signed a major distribution deal which it hopes will give it access to a range of new markets, including the US. The company's technology disinfects and purifies water using filtration, ultra-violet light and - as its name suggests - ozone.
The company's executive chairman Paul O'Grady said that H2Ozone currently has technology for the residential and commercial markets as well as an agriculture product that can be used for the livestock, food processing sectors and similar areas. The company's system works by passing water through a series of filters, then through a helical UV reactor chamber where the UV light inactivates all bacteria, pathogens and microorganisms. Ozone is then delivered through a diffuser into the water reservoir as the final step in the natural purification process.
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Mr O'Grady said the company's technology is different from other water purifying technology as it is chemically free and purifies water to drinking standard. Its "Rainsafe" system is aimed at domestic and business users including hotels, medical facilities and nursing homes, he added. Meanwhile, the company's "AgriSafe" system has resulted in significant improvements in mortality, yield, bio-security and profitability across the poultry, piggery, beef and dairy sectors.
The new funding mainly came from private investors, according to Mr O'Grady, and it will be used to grow the business through distribution networks. The company recently attended the Aqua Tech - one of the world's largest water-based shows - where it signed a global distribution deal which will give H2Ozone access to 150 countries. The company is currently targeting markets in Ireland, England, Belgium, Holland, Germany and South Africa. It is also looking at projects in Nepal and schools in South Africa, where they do not have access to clean water.
H2Ozone was started in 2011 and launched its key product in January of this year. Cork-based Flex produces H2Ozone's product to a medical device standard, while the deal with Flex also gives the company access to 33 locations worldwide. Its chairman said that as an Irish company, and with the backing of Enterprise Ireland, H2Ozone likes to support fellow Irish companies and that is why its products are manufactured in Cork and is offices are in Kilkenny.
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