RetriV Nutrient Recovery from Food Wastewater

RetriV is a nutrient recovery technology developed by Vietnam Food JSC (VNF), a Vietnamese shrimp by-product processor headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City. It is described as the first spin-off from VNF's technology ecosystem and extends the company's zero-waste approach from solid shrimp by-products to wastewater from food factories.

RetriV treats industrial wastewater as a nutrient source. It combines a shrimp-shell biopolymer that acts as a coagulant, flocculant and dewatering agent, plug-and-play modular equipment that connects to existing treatment lines such as DAF, clarifiers or filtration, and application consulting for reusing recovered proteins, lipids and minerals in feed or fertiliser.

• Shrimp-shell biopolymer: A natural coagulant, flocculant and dewatering agent.
• Plug-and-play equipment: Modular units attach to DAF, clarifier or filtration lines.
• In-plant recovery: Proteins, lipids and minerals are captured before downstream loss.
• Application consulting: Experts support reuse of recovered nutrients in feed or fertiliser.
• Customisable solutions: Designs are backed by VNF's R&D and quality control.

Seafood and meat processing plants could recover protein from wash-water before discharge. Instant-noodle, feed or pet-food factories could add modular recovery units to existing DAF lines. Industrial parks could pilot recovered nutrients as feed or fertiliser inputs.

Wastewater treatment cost can be turned into value through recovered nutrients. The biopolymer is stated to be biodegradable, metal-free and acrylamide-free. Modular units connect to existing treatment lines without rebuilding the plant. Press coverage cites a company claim of recovering more than 80% of nutrients from food wastewater.

Food and feed factories in Vietnam and Southeast Asia face tightening wastewater discharge rules and rising treatment costs, which increases interest in circular economy approaches that recover value from effluent. Vietnam's startup ecosystem is also directing climate-tech support to waste and circular economy solutions.

Spin-off of Vietnam Food JSC (VNF), Ho Chi Minh City. Winner of the Circular Economy & Waste Management track at Net Zero Challenge 2025 and of ClimateLaunchpad Vietnam 2026 (August 2026, per Tien Phong). MOU signed in July 2026 to set up RetriV Oceania for Australia and New Zealand.