A company that has developed technology to treat toxic industrial waste water has secured a £140,000 grant.

Arvia Technology uses Nyex, a material that includes graphene, to remove micropollutants and chemicals from water.

In June, the firm will relocate from its current home in Daresbury to The Heath Business & Technical Park in Runcorn.

Now it has secured £140,000 from the Catalyst for Growth fund, managed by the University of Chester and part of a Government-led scheme to encourage innovation and economic growth in regional areas of England.

Moving into the new site means Arvia will be able to take on new staff and apply its technology to large-scale industrial projects.

Arvia founder director, Dr Nigel Brown, said the company has already successfully shown how the technology can be used to remove toxic chemicals from water.

“The £140,000 awarded will help us fit out the new labs we need,” he said. “This will allow us to treat samples of industrial effluents on a larger scale as we commercialise our technology”.

As well as industrial uses, the company is also hoping to encourage larger municipal wastewater treatment works to adopt the technology. Dr Brown said it would become increasingly important to find ways of cleaning and reusing water.

He added: “Because of climate change and population growth, water is going to be in increasingly short supply in the future – so it is crucial that we find new ways of removing pollutants and protecting and reusing the supplies we have.”

Two new jobs are being created at the company, for a research scientist and an office worker. The company is also committed to apprenticeships and training.