Celebrating 2024 - A New Era of Biosolutions
Hayward CA (February 11, 2025) - What a Year It Has Been!
From record-breaking milestones to heartwarming impacts on communities, we are thrilled to reflect on some of last year's most remarkable achievements, all aligned with our mission and growth strategy.
This past year, we strengthened our commitment to advancing the widespread adoption of our platform — ushering in a new era of biosolutions to address critical challenges in climate change, water, energy, waste, health, and environmental sustainability.
From the successful commercial deployment of our platform to the development of groundbreaking biosolutions that reduce GHG emissions and optimize energy-intensive processes, we are proud to showcase some of our most significant achievements from 2024.
Key Milestones in Our Mission to a Pollution Free Planet
Pioneering Nutrient Removal in the San Francisco Bay Area
We are proud to celebrate over three years of continuous operation of our groundbreaking biosolution for removal of nitrogen from waste stream, which has successfully removed hundreds of thousands of pounds of harmful nutrients from a 12 MGD (Million Gallons per Day) plant at Oro Loma Sanitation District in the San Francisco Bay Area. This first-of-its-kind technology is a testament to the power of innovation in protecting vital water ecosystems and improving water quality.Arizona’s First Clean Water Installation
Building on the success of our clean water biosolution for the removal of nitrogen (nitrate) in California, we expanded to Arizona, partnering with the City of Goodyear. In 2023, we achieved a significant milestone by completing Arizona’s first installation of our NSF-certified nitrate removal biosolution. This installation continues to deliver clean water in a state that faces an urgent need for sustainable water management, reinforcing our commitment to addressing critical water challenges in arid regions.Delivering on an Over $9 Million Project in Clean Water in AZ
In collaboration with Arizona Water and its visionary leadership, we are proud to provide our nitrate biosolution to the community of Stanfield. This project underscores our dedication to deploying sustainable biosolutions that ensure equitable access to clean water. Stanfield represents one of many communities — including nearly 2.5 billion people worldwide — facing prolonged drought conditions. Our work in this project highlights the importance of removing toxins such as arsenic and nitrate from water supplies with innovative and long-term solutions.
Millions in Funding Fuels Our Engine of Innovation
In 2024, we continued to drive discovery and development of groundbreaking biosolutions with far-reaching impacts for both people and the planet. Here are some key milestones from this transformative year:
· Pioneering the Elimination of N₂O Emissions
In 2022, global emissions of nitrous oxide (N₂O) reached an alarming 3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent — the highest levels in the past 800,000 years. With a warming potential nearly 300 times greater than CO₂, N₂O poses a critical climate challenge.
In response to this urgent issue, Microvi led a $1 million collaborative effort with academia and industry leaders to develop the world's first biocatalytic solution for eliminating N₂O from wastewater treatment facilities. This breakthrough represents a significant advancement in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing climate change.
· Advancing Bioremediation and Human Health
Through a nearly $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and in partnership with Nexilico, we successfully completed two major R&D projects that push the boundaries of bioremediation and health:
Bioremediation Innovation: Using machine learning and predictive modeling, we developed and tested a biosolution to address mixed and hard-to-degrade pollutants. This technology offers a promising new approach to cleaning up contaminated environments.
Gut Microbiome Research: Our second project explored the role of the gut microbiome in protecting human health from harmful xenobiotic compounds. By understanding how the microbiome can neutralize toxins, we are unlocking new ways to safeguard health and improve resilience against environmental pollutants.
· Developing a New Biosolution for the $311 Billion Aquaculture Market
The rapidly growing aquaculture industry faces significant challenges in managing water quality, particularly in removing total nitrogen from recirculating water systems. In response to this need, Microvi was awarded a USDA funding to develop a sustainable biosolution for nitrogen removal in aquaculture and marine water systems. This innovation will enhance water quality and sustainability in a market valued at over $311 billion, supporting the future of sustainable seafood production.
· Over $1.2 Million in Funding for Chromium Removal in Drinking Water
In 2024, California became the first state in the U.S. to set a regulatory standard for cancer-causing chromium in drinking water. This groundbreaking move highlights the urgent need for effective solutions to remove this dangerous contaminant, which affects millions of people worldwide. With over $1.2 million in funding, we have developed a new biosolution that successfully removes chromium from water. Large-scale testing of our biosolution has already demonstrated non-detect levels of chromium in treated water. The project is on track for completion in 2025, marking a significant step toward safer, cleaner drinking water for communities everywhere.
Warm Welcome to New and Returning Team Members
We’re thrilled to welcome four new team members to our California and Michigan offices and recognize a key leadership transition within our team:
Jason Huber joined our Michigan office as a Senior Mechanical/Design Engineer, bringing with him over 15 years of experience in environmental engineering, construction, and sustainability. His expertise will be invaluable as we continue to deploy our solutions.
In June, Hailie Le, a student from Cal State East Bay, joined our Innovation Team in California as a Microbiology Intern before transitioning to her current role as Lab Technician. Her passion and contributions have already made an impact!
Our Innovation Team also welcomed Shwetha Acharya, a Research Associate with a background in biochemical engineering and wastewater microbiology, adding specialized knowledge to our R&D efforts.
On our operations side, we welcomed Neal Burkinshaw to assist with our water treatment system operations in southern California.
Lastly, Ajay Nair, who previously served as Director of Commercial and Technical Strategy, transitioned into a new advisory role as Principal Advisor – Strategic Initiatives. His continued guidance will support key initiatives in wastewater sector as we expand our impact.
We’re excited to see how each of you will contribute to our mission in 2025 and beyond. Welcome aboard!
Microvi Technology Showcased at Five Major Conferences
In 2024, Microvi’s groundbreaking innovations were showcased at five conferences and workshops, with team members and partners delivering seven presentations on our MicroNiche Engineering (MNE) platform.
Here are some highlights from this year’s engagements:
In March, Felipe Cartin presented long-term results from our biological nitrate treatment biosolution, backed by seven years of operational data.
Nik Hlavacek shared insights from our chromium removal project with National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) at the Emerging Contaminants in the Environment Conference.
Our work as part of a $6.5 M California Energy Commission (CEC) total nitrogen removal biosolution project with CWT in Linda County was highlighted by Onder Caliskaner at the CWEA Annual Conference and again by Ajay Nair at EWM later in the year.
Ajay Nair also presented results from our collaboration with Dr. Ana Soares and Cranfield University for bio-fertilizer at WEF Innovations in Treatment Technology.
Savanah Smith presented promising results from our work on anammox nitrogen removal using a new biosolution for shortcut nitrogen removal, an exciting advancement in water treatment.
Finally, performance results from our nutrient removal solution at OLSD were presented by Mike Falk from HDR and Jimmy Dang at the CWEA Navigating Nutrient Removal Workshop.
These presentations demonstrate the real-world impact of our biosolutions and highlight the continued success of our platform in tackling some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
New Patents Awarded
In 2024, we were awarded several new patents as we continue with our efforts to strengthen our intellectual property. These achievements reflect our ongoing commitment to developing innovative biosolutions for climate change, water, energy, waste, health, and environmental sustainability.
Looking Ahead to 2025
After an exciting, busy, and rewarding 2024, we’re looking forward to celebrating even greater successes in 2025 with our dedicated team, investors, partners, customers, and supporters.
Your efforts made this exceptional year of achievements possible — thank you!
As we head into 2025, we remain committed to delivering proven, cost-effective, and high-performance sustainable biosolutions to communities around the globe, addressing climate, environmental, and health challenges with innovative technology. Let’s continue making an impact together!
About Microvi
Microvi is a climate technology company based in the San Francisco Bay Area that delivers next-generation biotechnologies for the water, wastewater, bio-based chemicals, biofuels, and biopharma industries. Microvi offers commercial technologies around the world to reduce greenhouse gas emission (GHG’s) and waste, increase productivity and provide disruptive economics across the value chain. Learn more at Microvi Biotech.