Metal Morph raises £700K to turn wastewater chemicals into reusable resources
What's the deal? Metal Morph has raised £700,000 in a pre-seed round co-led by Sustainable VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Green Angel VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The London-based startup recovers aluminium- and iron-based treatment chemicals from municipal and industrial wastewater for reuse. Aqcelerator and Found CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → also backed the round.
What's the endgame? Metal Morph's system recovers chemicals that would otherwise be discharged to sewer, sent to landfill or spread on land, then returns them to the treatment process. Its first product targets spent coagulants; later work will look at recovering standalone metals from industrial wastewater and mining tailings.
Why now? Water utilities and industrial operators face rising costs and strained supply chains for key inputs. In more than 50 live trials at three drinking water plants, the company said its system recovered 90% of spent treatment chemicals at 95% purity, cut coagulation-related operating costs by 26%, and reduced coagulant procurement emissions by 89%.
Founded in 2025 by Moletsane Mophethe, whose experience of water scarcity in Lesotho shaped the company, Metal Morph now has a team of nine and partnerships with six UK water utilities covering 56% of the market.
By the numbers: Alongside the equity, the company has secured a £100,000 grant from OfwatDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, with a further £450,000 available if it hits specified milestones. The funding will support further pilots and validation work as it moves from laboratory testing towards industrial deployment.
"Water infrastructure is one of the most overlooked industrial supply chains in the world," said Mophethe. "By harnessing them correctly, we are fundamentally reshaping the supply of essential chemicals to reduce the cost of water production."
The signal: The £700,000 round sits in the modest range for early-stage deals, but investors frame it as an entry into an overlooked market. "Deployed successfully, the team will transform water and wastewater treatment processes into active resource recovery facilities," said Josh Armistead-Wood of Sustainable Ventures — a bet that circular-economy models can crack a long-neglected corner of industrial infrastructure.
Read more: CFO Tech
Image credit: Metal Morph
