From tradition to innovation
MKR Cleanwater – nearly 30 years of evaporator expertise
MKR Cleanwater is a German specialist in the treatment of manure and digestate – with a focus on food waste and waste-to-energy plants. We develop and manufacture thermal and electric vacuum evaporators at our site in Monheim (Bavaria). What sounds like a young company is built on a foundation grown over decades: evaporator technology has been a core business for MKR since the 1990s. The owner and managing director is Michael Köhnlechner.
The roots: Evaporator tech since 1997
The story began in 1990 when Anderl Metzger founded MKR Metzger in Monheim – initially with mobile filter technology for industry. In 1997, MKR launched its first vacuum evaporators to treat cooling lubricants, washing and process water. Over the years, this evolved into thousands of systems installed worldwide. This deeply anchored industrial evaporator know-how remains the basis of every MKR system today.
From industrial evaporators to digestate treatment
In 2009/2010, a planning office established contact with a nearby agricultural biogas plant – with the idea of reducing fermentation products using existing industrial evaporators. This first test plant led to a dedicated development line: the first multi-stage modular system in 2016, plants for over 40,000 t of digestate per year in 2018, and the first 4-stage unit in 2020. Since 2019/2020, the focus has shifted clearly to food waste and waste plants – biogas plants that ferment food scraps and bio-waste. Here, the requirements for nutrient recovery and continuous operation are at their highest – exactly where MKR technology excels.
2021: MKR Cleanwater specialises in digestate from food waste and liquid manure
The requirements of this sector differ fundamentally from industrial wastewater treatment. Therefore, the manure and digestate treatment division was spun off as the independent MKR Cleanwater GmbH in 2021 – to bundle expertise, development, and sector-specific service in a focused company. Since the spin-off, the focus on food waste and waste plants has deepened even further.
What does MKR stand for?
Quality
Holistic approach
Project planning and design consider upstream and downstream areas to ensure the most effective overall system integration.
Circular economy
All wetted parts made of stainless steel, acid and ASL sections in plastic. Engineered for continuous heavy-duty operation.
Turning waste materials into valuable fertiliser instead of costly disposal. This is the heart of what we do.
Who's behind MKR?
Michael Köhnlechner – Owner & Managing Director
Behind MKR Cleanwater is Michael Köhnlechner, Graduate Engineer (FH) in Biotechnology. His career combines biology and process engineering with practical biogas experience: after years in the technical-biological service for biogas plant construction, he established the digestate treatment and vacuum evaporator division at MKR Metzger in 2013. He has led MKR Cleanwater GmbH since the spin-off in 2021.
“From plate back to the field: we turn food waste and digestate into clean water and real fertiliser. This is exactly what MKR Cleanwater exists for.”— Michael Köhnlechner, Owner & Managing Director