Pazul Ltd, a spin-out company from Cranfield University, has generated £600k in funding in its latest round of investment.
Building on research from Cranfield’s Water Science Institute, Pazul’s mission is to develop real-time monitoring solutions that drive action, solving complex aquatic pollution problems. The current methods for acquiring pollution data in water are slow, costly and infrequent, which makes dynamic decision-making very difficult.
A range of products deploying real-time phosphate sensing
Pazul’s builds two key products that have as a foundation a unique sensor that measures phosphate in real-time. Currently, phosphate measurement is based in wet chemistry methods developed in the 1960s. These are used to this day in lab-based analysis, requiring many staff hours, transport, and the data is usually available 1-3 days after sampling. This makes rapid decision-making difficult, particularly as water quality can change quickly. The same methods have been adapted to microfluidic online instruments, that are timely, but these still use corrosive chemicals that are difficult to manage on site. The cost of the instruments and their maintenance, particularly the costs associated with sample preparation, limit their widespread implementation.
Pazul’s solution is an electrochemical sensor platform based on molecularly imprinted polymers that delivers rapid, low-maintenance measurements, without wet chemistry reagents or sample preparation. In practice, this means that phosphate concentrations can be measured within just a few minutes.
Continuous phosphate intelligence can bring significant benefits to aquatic systems and the wider water sector. To realise these benefits, Pazul has two main products: an automated phosphate iron dosing system for wastewater treatment, using real-time phosphate sensing and flow data to optimise coagulant dosing and reduce chemical use, and Pazul RiverIntel, a real-time river water-quality data service that combines continuous sensing, connected data and analytics to support monitoring, decision-making, AI tools and digital twins. The benefits are reductions in chemical use, sludge production, emissions and operational costs while maintaining stable treatment performance and protecting receiving waters. Alongside the hardware, we are building data tools for natural and engineered systems to turn continuous monitoring of multiple pollutants, into actionable insights.
Ana Soares, Professor of Biotechnology Engineering at Cranfield University and co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Pazul, said: “We’re extremely proud to have received this investment. It will help us further develop our technology and strengthen our team, but it also shows confidence in the work that we’re doing and an understanding of our goals.
“Not only will this technology help us to better understand phosphate in natural and engineered systems, but it will enable utilities to make significant savings on chemical costs without compromising efficiency and industry make faster, better-informed decisions based on real-time information.”
Midlands Mindforge led the £600k investment round with a £300k commitment, matched by investment from a group of high-net-worth individuals. Lisa Smith, CEO of Midlands Mindforge, said: “Pazul combines outstanding science, strong commercial potential and a clear route to real-world impact. The company is addressing a critical challenge for the water sector with an innovative technology that can generate actionable insights in real time, helping organisations make better decisions while reducing costs and protecting the environment. This is exactly the type of high-potential, research-driven business that Midlands Mindforge was created to back, and we're excited to support the team as they scale.”
