Headquartered in rural Slater, Iowa, Gross-Wen Technologies (GWT) is an Iowa State University spinoff founded in 2013 by Drs. Martin Gross and Zhiyou Wen. GWT has developed a patented Revolving Algal BiofilmTM (RAB) wastewater treatment technology that uses algae to treat and recover nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater. Compared to other treatment options, GWT’s system is significantly more affordable and produces an algae biomass which can be sold as a slow-release algal fertilizer or bioplastic. Overall, the process is carbon negative, making it the most sustainable approach to meet more stringent discharge permits. GWT offers four products and services: (1) the sale of algal-based treatment systems to remove pollutants from municipal or industrial wastewater, (2) operation and maintenance contracts with RAB system customers, (3) the sale of algae-based biomass (initially as a fertilizer), and (4) providing algae-related technical services and research and development.

To date, GWT has won multiple U.S. Department of Agriculture Phase I and II SBIR grants, three Iowa Department of Economic Development Authority awards and two grants from the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies office. Further, GWT was the winner of the 2017 Pappajohn Iowa Entrepreneurial Venture Competition and was the 2019 Startup Company of the Year awardee from the Technology Association of Iowa. GWT also was selected to participate in the Imagine H20 business accelerator.

GWT has over twenty employees to include scientists, engineers, wastewater operators, business development professionals and support staff. To date, GWT has deployed over 20 pilot and demonstration scale RAB units throughout the U.S. and has sold its first full-scale commercial system which will be operational in Q4 of 2022. GWT also has filed and been issued multiple U.S. patents.