AWAS International: State of the Art Water Separation and Filtration Solutions

Joerg Steiss, CEO, AWAS InternationalJoerg Steiss, CEO
With over 45 years of in-depth experience as a contract and plant manufacturer for industrial wastewater treatment, AWAS is a true pioneer in its field. The company caters its innovative solutions to meet the wastewater treatment needs of its clients from the oil & gas, petrochemical, metal processing, food, and air/seaport industries. No matter the endeavor, AWAS always strives to realize the hallmark of its solutions—affordability and effectiveness. As stated by AWAS’ CEO Joerg Steiss, “If a client needs to remove emulsions, particles, and oil from water with a safe work performance and low operation costs, we deliver the best option.”

The company continues in its long and successful journey providing leading-edge wastewater treatment options for its clients from various sectors. For instance, the oil & gas industry needs to create particle-free water for re-injection into the underground reservoir, while in the metal industries, particle-free recycled water must be produced for the grinding processes before it can be reused. Additionally, the new European regulation for water reuse for irrigation contains a standard, which states that all particles, bacteria and turbidity must be removed before use.

AWAS has also developed a special type of three-phase separator, called the Galaxie separator, to separate light/heavy liquids and solids from industrial wastewater. It integrates the classic oil separator, coalescence separator, sludge trap, and constant oil drainage from the liquid surface and uses a one-of-a-kind vortex flow to separate the liquids into three phases based on density. The centripetal forces in the coalescence separator simultaneously move the lighter liquids inwards, upwards, and towards the middle of the separator. Due to the slow tangential circular flow created by the separator, the liquids are collected on the surface in the center of the separator.

Different wall distances in the spiral column cause slower and faster flow movements, resulting in the fine separation of the liquids. With no moving parts and requiring no special filter, the patented Galaxie separator never gets clogged, has low operation costs, and delivers an output ready for reuse, with <10 percent water content in all oil-water separations.
Clients use the Galaxie separator in all types of production/industrial settings where polluted liquids need to be collected, cleaned, and reused. “As opposed to API or CPI separators, the cleaning results of the Galaxie Separator are outstanding. Running costs for the customer are minimized, which is great for both them and the partner,” Steiss adds.

AWAS also developed a new media filter system, which removes particles as small as one micron. The filtration system comes with the added benefit of ensuring that no remaining oils from the process block the filter and does away with the need to change filter cartridges or cleaning in place (CIP). As a result, the system delivers high-end, low latency performance at low operation costs while ensuring the safest work performance.

  • “If a client needs to remove emulsions, particles, and oil from water with a safe work performance and low operation costs, we deliver the best option.” said Joerg Steiss, AWAS’ CEO


The AWAS system was implemented at Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) and the airports in Muscat and Salalah. The Galaxie separator used at PDO is the biggest oil separator in the world, treating 3000 cubic meters/hour. The system acts as a pre-treatment for a wetland because the water produced is redirected into a wetland, used to irrigate a desert into a green paradise. AWAS has won several environmental awards, including the Award of Excellence in Climate Action in 2019 and the Energy Club World Award 2018, beating nearly 2000 companies in the same space.

Having worked with so many high-profile projects the world over, AWAS’ penchant for going beyond the realms of conventional wastewater treatment options has led them to research on quantum physical lighting to effectuate a much deeper level of cleaning. Using chemicals combined with light activation that operate at unique frequencies have been specially developed to eradicate e.g. bacteria out of the water or other substances. They are also looking to set up a brand new partner program to work with various global clients to understand the unique market culture and the people’s needs. AWAS’ goal is to increase the possibilities and coverage of their wastewater treatment solutions across all potential global markets/sectors and become successful in all their endeavors.
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Top 10 Wastewater Management Solutions Companies in Europe - 2022
AWAS International

Company
AWAS International

Headquarters
Wilnsdorf, North Rhine-Westphalia

Management
Joerg Steiss, CEO

Description
AWAS is a specialist in wastewater technology and the separation of liquids and substances on physical, physical-chemical, quantum physical, and biophysical process engineering, while largely avoiding the use of chemicals. With over 45 years of in-depth experience as a contract and plant manufacturer for industrial wastewater treatment, AWAS is a true pioneer in its field. The company caters its innovative solutions to meet the wastewater treatment needs of its clients from the oil & gas, petrochemical, metal processing, food, and air/seaport industries. No matter the endeavor, AWAS always strives to realize the hallmark of its solutions—affordability and effectiveness.