Measuring the microbiological quality of water takes time. A sample is taken, sent to the laboratory, and the result comes back between 18 and 72 hours later. That is the delay bNovate Technologies, based at EPFL Innovation Park in Lausanne, wants to shorten. According to Startupticker.ch, the company has just launched BactoSense ID, an automated system that detects and quantifies targeted bacteria in wastewater and bathing water in under 60 minutes.

What BactoSense ID measures

Until now, bNovate's instruments measured the overall bacterial population of a water sample, without distinguishing between species. BactoSense ID goes a step further: it identifies and quantifies specific groups of bacteria, those of interest to water professionals. The bacteria concerned are coliforms, enterococci and E. coli, standard indicators of the microbiological quality of water, particularly for wastewater, water reuse and bathing sites.

One point deserves clarification. While the announcement lists E. coli among the bacteria detected, Karim El Koury, bNovate's chief marketing officer (CMO), tells Startupticker.ch that the technology currently identifies coliforms and enterococci, and that E. coli "will follow very soon". At the time of launch, the detection of E. coli is therefore still more of an announcement than an available result.

As for the physical principle behind the measurement, the source does not describe it. All that is known is that the company sought to simplify and automate complex laboratory instruments to turn them into "plug and play" devices that water professionals can use without advanced training in microbiology. Many of the company's instruments operate directly in treatment plants, distribution networks or industrial production sites, 24 hours out of 24, 7 days a week.

A complement to laboratory testing

bNovate does not present BactoSense ID as a replacement for regulatory tests. The system complements them by providing visibility between two laboratory analyses. In wastewater or bathing water, monitoring still relies largely on periodic sampling whose results take days. With faster measurement, operators could spot a change earlier and decide more quickly.

The company cites several possible uses:

  • adjusting the quantity of chemicals used for disinfection;
  • diverting contaminated water in time;
  • closing or reopening a bathing site sooner.

These are application examples put forward by bNovate, not documented use cases. The source specifies neither how the system was validated, nor how well its results agree with reference laboratory methods, nor which water utilities already use it. These elements will be decisive in judging its real place in water quality control. Karim El Koury does, however, mention Innosuisse's support for the development of the technology.

500 systems already in service

The Lausanne startup is not starting from scratch. bNovate has more than 500 systems in operation worldwide, carrying out more than one million automated microbiological measurements a year. Its customers range from drinking water suppliers to the pharmaceutical, food and beverage industries, as well as other industrial companies. Karim El Koury cites L'Occitane, Severn Trent and BWT among its partners. The company is also exploring the semiconductor market and that of cooling systems, notably for data centres.

Following the recent outbreak of Legionnaires' disease linked to a cooling system in Basel, the Vaud-based company says it is offering its support wherever it can. Its solutions are distributed internationally by bNovate itself and by a growing network of specialised distribution and service partners; a BactoSense was recently installed in Greenland.

New markets and a software layer

With some 50 employees, a growing workforce, bNovate is focusing on international expansion and on broadening the applications of its technology. BactoSense ID opens up new markets for it: wastewater, water reuse and environmental monitoring. In parallel, the company is pursuing its business in drinking water, food, beverages and pharma.

On the digital side, bNovate is investing in machine learning to extract more information from the volumes of data collected by its instruments. Its BactoCloud platform, an online monitoring and analytics service (SaaS), is the most recent example. For other bacteria, Karim El Koury promises new solutions, without a timetable or a precise list: this is a prospect, not an announced product.

What this changes, and what remains to be proven

bNovate's stated ambition is to change the role of microbiology in water management. Today, microbiological analysis mainly looks in the rear-view mirror: what happened is discovered several days after sampling. The company advocates continuous, automated microbiological information that can be used to steer processes in real time.

The established result is a launched product, targeting specific indicator bacteria with an announced turnaround of under 60 minutes. The hypothesis is that more frequent monitoring between two regulatory analyses would make it possible to react earlier at a wastewater treatment plant or a beach. Verifying it will require public validation data and feedback from operators, which the announcement does not yet provide.

Sources