Diversican launches chemical-free centrifuge for ballast water treatment

Diversican has introduced a continuous-flow centrifuge designed to remove bacteria-sized particles and invasive species from ballast water without toxic chemical byproducts. The Suwanee, Georgia startup says the technology could reduce pollution from global shipping and expand into municipal wastewater treatment.

Why it matters: - Ballast water from global shipping moves about 10 billion tons of water each year, creating a major pathway for invasive species and harmful bacteria. - Diversican is targeting that problem with a non-chemical treatment approach that could reduce toxic byproducts, corrosion, and reliance on consumable filtration media. - The same separation technology is being positioned for municipal wastewater sludge dewatering, where lower hauling and disposal volumes could cut operating costs.

What happened: - Diversican, a blue tech startup based in Suwanee, Georgia, introduced a chemical-free centrifuge designed to treat ballast water pollution. - Nhut Dang launched Diversican in 2024 to address the global water quality crisis through advanced engineering. - The company says the device uses continuous-flow, laminar separation to remove fine particles and biological material before discharge or downstream treatment.

The details: - The ballast-water problem includes fish larvae, toxic algae and bacteria such as Vibrio cholerae. - Scientists estimate that up to 7,000 marine species travel daily in ballast tanks on ocean-going vessels. - Invasive species can cause major economic damage. European zebra mussels in the Great Lakes caused more than $3 billion in losses by clogging water infrastructure. - Dang said traditional chlorination and ozonation can create harmful byproducts and corrosion, while still allowing some organisms to survive treatment. - Diversican says its centrifuge can physically remove bacteria-sized particles and other suspended material. - The approach is meant to add another barrier against biological contaminants while reducing dependence on chemical disinfectants. - Diversican was selected for the VentureWell Ocean Enterprise Accelerator, a joint initiative with NOAA. - VentureWell’s Tricia Compas-Markman said Diversican’s submicron-capable centrifuge aims to strengthen compliance, lower operating costs and reduce downtime. - Diversican was also named to Techstars Founder Catalyst WaterTech & Sustainability and selected as one of the “Blue Dozen” for Blue Institute Labs’ BX6 Blue Excelerator cohort. - Braid Theory CEO Ann Carpenter said the company’s work addresses invasive species that threaten marine environments. - Diversican provides more information on its water treatment technologies at the company’s website. - Diversican also lists a LinkedIn page at its social media profile.

Between the lines: - The company is framing ballast-water treatment as both an environmental and industrial operations problem. - Diversican is leaning on physical separation rather than disinfection, which could appeal to operators looking for fewer chemicals and less maintenance. - External accelerator placements suggest the company is still in the commercialization and validation stage, not full-scale deployment.

What's next: - Diversican plans to expand beyond maritime use into terrestrial environmental markets. - The company is sharpening its focus on municipal wastewater sludge dewatering. - Dang said Diversican wants to reach more than 30% cake solids, which would reduce the volume of waste that utilities must haul and dispose of. - Diversican expects to work with cities, counties and water treatment districts on future deployments. - The company says the goal is to bring the centrifuge into broader commercial use while supporting environmental sustainability.