Aquafortus and Sunchem Join Halliburton Labs as Newest Participants

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Halliburton Labs welcomes two innovative startups to its collaborative ecosystem, Aquafortus and Sunchem, each selected for their high-potential technologies to accelerate The future of energy. Faster.™

“We are excited to collaborate with Aquafortus and Sunchem and bring the Halliburton Labs experience to help them build scale,” said Andres Cabada, managing director of Halliburton Labs. “Our hands-on support, global infrastructure, and operational expertise remove barriers that slow commercialization. These resources help them reach industrial scale faster and accelerate the future of energy.”

Aquafortus is a pioneer in non-thermal desalination for high-salinity industrial brines. The company developed a proprietary solvent exchange process that operates at a fraction of the cost of thermal technologies. It eliminates the energy input associated with the phase change of water. Aquafortus enables economic extraction of fresh water and concentrated mineral streams, which supports a circular economy in multibillion-dollar markets. The company operates a 2,000-barrels-per-day pilot facility in West Texas. That site treats oilfield brines and began operations in 2024.

“Joining Halliburton Labs marks a pivotal moment for Aquafortus as we scale our non-thermal desalination technology in the U.S. oil and gas industry and beyond,” said Jim Newman, chief executive officer of Aquafortus. “We’re excited to collaborate with the extensive Halliburton team and leverage Halliburton’s deep expertise and broad infrastructure to accelerate our transformational water recovery solution to industry.”

Sunchem is a provider of precision metal recovery technologies for industrial processes in the critical metals value chain. It built proof-of-concept systems in metal recycling and mining, launched trials with large industrial organizations, and secured commercial agreements.

"We are thrilled to join Halliburton Labs and tap into their deep operational expertise and global network,” said Daniel T. Sun, co-founder and CEO of Sunchem. “This collaboration will accelerate the commercialization of our precision metal separation technologies and expand our impact across the critical metals value chain."

Join us in September for the next Finalists Pitch Day

Halliburton Labs invites energy and decarbonization innovators, startups, and investors to Finalists Pitch Day in Houston on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. The event takes place during Houston Energy Climate Startup Week.

Finalists Pitch Day event features pitches from selected startups with the focus on the Future of Energy, Faster™. Register here to be part of the experience and contribute to the future of sustainable energy.

About Halliburton Labs

Halliburton Labs is a collaborative environment where entrepreneurs, academics, investors, and experienced practitioners advance the future of energy faster. Halliburton Labs provides access to world-class facilities, a global business network, commercialization expertise, and financing opportunities to help participants scale their business. Visit the company's website at Halliburton Labs. Connect with Halliburton Labs on LinkedIn and Instagram. Halliburton Labs is a wholly owned subsidiary of Halliburton Company (NYSE: HAL).