Germany Dewatering Equipment Market Overview, 2031

Market Insights on Germany Dewatering Equipment Market

• According to the research report, "Germany Dewatering Equipment Market Outlook, 2031," published by Bonafide Research, the Germany Dewatering Equipment Market is anticipated to grow at more than 1.83% CAGR from 2026 to 2031.
• Germany's dewatering equipment landscape has entered a period of regulatory-driven transformation. The Umweltbundesamt (UBA) confirmed in October 2025 that the statutory deadline of 1 January 2029 for mandatory phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge remains firmly in place, with Andrea Roskosch of the UBA reaffirming this timeline at the German Phosphorus Platform forum in Frankfurt. The hard obligation applies to operators of wastewater treatment plants exceeding 100,000 population equivalents from 2029, extending to facilities above 50,000 PE from 2032, fundamentally reshaping sludge processing requirements across the nation's municipal treatment network.
• The Klärschlammverordnung (AbfKlärV) has prohibited landfilling of untreated sewage sludge since 2005, and the updated regulation now mandates phosphorus recovery from sludge and sludge ash, with the requirement applying to all municipal treatment plants where sludge contains 20 grams or more of phosphorus per kilogram of dry solids. This regulatory framework has accelerated the shift toward thermal treatment, with approximately 64% of Germany's 1.8 million tonnes of sewage sludge total solids incinerated as of recent data.
• The VDMA's Fachverband Verfahrenstechnische Maschinen und Apparate reported a record export year for German water and wastewater technology in 2025, with exports rising 5.6% to EUR 1,368 million despite geopolitical uncertainties and investment reticence. The EU-27 remained the most important sales region at EUR 694 million, with Southeast Asia recording 53.0% growth and North Africa 45.3%, while exports to the United States declined 24.7% reflecting the challenging market environment.
• A landmark VKU-commissioned study published in March 2025 revealed that Germany's municipal water industry must invest EUR 800 billion by 2045 to maintain water supply and wastewater disposal at accustomed quality and security levels, with approximately 65% of this amount required for wastewater disposal. The study, conducted by BBH Gruppe, indicated that annual investments must rise to an average of EUR 40 billion from the current level of approximately EUR 10 billion.
• The RAG Aktiengesellschaft continues implementing its long-term mine water management concept in the Saarland and Ruhr regions, operating water retention sites at Viktoria, Camphausen, Duhamel, Reden, and Luisenthal where a maximum of 26 million cubic metres of mine water is raised and discharged annually. The company ceased pump operations at the Reden site in early May 2026 following the shutdown at Duhamel at the end of 2025, with controlled mine water rise managed under a legally binding plan approval decision and comprehensive monitoring.
• Germany's construction dewatering sector operates under DIN 18305:2019-09, which establishes general technical specifications for groundwater lowering in construction contracts. The standard requires that groundwater levels during construction be lowered to at least 0.50 metres below the planned excavation base, with success of dewatering measures verified through measurements including piezometric level monitoring before and during excavation works.

Competitive Landscape of Germany Dewatering Equipment Market

• Flottweg SE, headquartered in Vilsbiburg, Bavaria, unveiled a pioneering new decanter centrifuge for sludge dewatering at IFAT Munich, the world's leading trade fair for environmental technologies. The company's participation in the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs' delegation trip to South Africa in July 2025 and at IFAT Africa 2025 in Johannesburg represented a strategic milestone for expanding its presence in emerging markets.
• HUBER SE, based in Berching, Bavaria, successfully commissioned a new solar sewage sludge drying plant in Kodersdorf in April 2025, featuring the premiere of the HUBER Sludge Turner SOLSTICE FloorRunner. The company also supplied three Q-Press 620 screw press units for sludge dewatering at a new wastewater treatment plant serving a dairy industry, with the produced surplus sludge dewatered by two additional Q-Press 620 units for operational flexibility.
• Hiller GmbH, a German manufacturer, provides the DecaPress decanter centrifuge available in both classic 2-phase and 3-phase versions, with the company positioning the product as setting the standard for cost-effective sludge dewatering in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants. The company offers customized solutions spanning pre-treatment, control systems, and full plant integration.
• MSE Filterpressen GmbH specialises in the development, manufacture, and worldwide sale of mechanical filtration plants and dewatering systems for industrial separation processes. The company's filtration systems are deployed across industrial production for separation of sludge, chemical substances, and petroleum, as well as in municipal wastewater treatment applications.
• Ferrum Process Systems provides the Hiller DecaPress and Hiller DecaThick product lines, offering trial services for sludge dewatering using decanters, industrial wastewater dewatering trials, and beverage production applications with decanters. The company's consultative approach positions it as a technical partner for operators evaluating dewatering technology options.
• Xylem Inc., through its Flygt and Godwin brands, showcased the Godwin NC series of non-clog pumps at IFAT, featuring Flygt N-technology that combines expertise from both leading dewatering brands. The company expanded its Flygt 2600 drainage range with three new sludge pumps, including the Flygt Experior which offers up to 50% energy savings compared to conventional wastewater pumps.
• Klärschlammverordnung compliance and phosphorus recovery mandates have created a specialised market for equipment capable of achieving high dry solids content above 28% while minimising polymer consumption. Entry barriers remain exceptionally high due to the capital intensity of research and development for mining-grade and municipal-grade equipment, the need for specialised technical expertise in mechanical separation, and the complex regulatory landscape governed by the UBA, state environmental agencies, and EU ecodesign directives.

Germany Market Dynamics

Driver: Phosphorus Recovery Mandate and Thermal Treatment Shift
The Klärschlammverordnung's mandatory phosphorus recovery from 2029 for plants exceeding 100,000 PE, extending to 50,000 PE from 2032, has created a compliance-driven procurement cycle for dewatering equipment capable of producing high dry solids content. The UBA has confirmed that the statutory timelines remain firmly in place, with approximately 64% of Germany's 1.8 million tonnes of sewage sludge total solids already being incinerated. This regulatory pressure favours advanced dewatering systems that achieve dry solids content above 28% with reduced polymer consumption, directly influencing equipment selection for both new installations and plant upgrades.

Challenge: EUR 800 Billion Infrastructure Investment Gap
A landmark VKU-commissioned study revealed that Germany's municipal water industry must invest EUR 800 billion by 2045 to maintain service quality and security, with approximately 65% required for wastewater disposal infrastructure. The current annual investment level of approximately EUR 10 billion must rise to an average of EUR 40 billion to meet future challenges. This investment gap creates uncertainty for equipment suppliers, as municipal utilities face competing priorities for limited capital, potentially delaying dewatering equipment procurement cycles despite the pressing need for infrastructure renewal.



Trend: IoT-Enabled Monitoring and Solar Sludge Drying
Germany's dewatering equipment market is experiencing accelerating adoption of IoT-enabled monitoring and predictive maintenance, with approximately 30-40% of new systems sold in 2026 expected to include digital control interfaces or remote diagnostics packages. Replacement demand for aging municipal plants, where the average installed base age exceeds 15 years, accounts for over half of annual public sector procurement, with many tenders specifying energy efficiency class IE4 or higher for electric drives. The successful commissioning of HUBER's solar sewage sludge drying plant in Kodersdorf in April 2025 demonstrates the integration of solar drying technology with mechanical dewatering, while Flottweg's AI-assisted decanter control at the Trier wastewater treatment plant enables operational savings exceeding EUR 300,000 annually.

Segment Analysis

Germany Dewatering Equipment Market by Equipment Type
• Sludge & Slurry Dewatering Equipment represents the dominant segment, with centrifuges and screw presses together accounting for roughly 60-70% of unit demand. Germany operates one of Europe's most advanced water treatment networks with over 10,000 municipal wastewater treatment plants, where dewatering systems are critical to achieving the 25-35% dry solids content typically required for incineration under the Klärschlammverordnung. The Lübeck central wastewater treatment plant, serving 350,000 population equivalents, achieves 36-39% dry solids content through chamber filter presses and currently utilises the entire sludge output as agricultural fertiliser, though evolving regulations will likely redirect this stream to thermal treatment.
• Groundwater Dewatering Equipment serves construction and mining applications under DIN 18305:2019-09 specifications, which require groundwater levels to be lowered to at least 0.50 metres below the planned excavation base. The RAG Aktiengesellschaft operates long-term mine water management infrastructure across the Saarland and Ruhr regions, raising a maximum of 26 million cubic metres of mine water annually from five active water retention sites, with controlled mine water rise implemented under legally binding plan approval decisions and comprehensive integral monitoring systems.

Germany Dewatering Equipment Market by Technology
• Centrifuges and screw presses represent 60-70% of unit demand, with automated, energy-optimised configurations capturing a growing share of new installations. Flottweg's decanter centrifuges at the Trier wastewater treatment plant incorporate AI-assisted control systems enabling annual savings exceeding EUR 300,000, while Hiller's DecaPress decanter centrifuges are available in 2-phase and 3-phase configurations for municipal and industrial applications.
• Filter Presses remain essential for achieving the highest cake dryness, with the Lübeck central plant achieving 36-39% dry solids content through chamber filter presses. The ZauBer project at TU Freiberg incorporates a chamber filter press as the first stage of a pilot plant for treating contaminated sludge from the Rote Graben, followed by multi-stage membrane treatment for continuous water treatment and discontinuous press water treatment.
• Belt Filter Presses serve municipal and industrial applications, with belt thickness units achieving approximately 5.5% dry solids content at low polymer consumption rates of 1-3 grams per kilogram of dry solids in the Lübeck plant's excess sludge treatment process.
• Screw Presses are gaining adoption for industrial applications, with HUBER supplying three Q-Press 620 units for a dairy industry wastewater treatment plant and two additional units for operational flexibility. The ClearFox Sludge Big Bag Dewatering System offers a simple and cost-effective solution for smaller industrial and municipal applications, manufactured in Germany.
• Vacuum Filters represent a legacy technology with declining new installations but residual installed base in older industrial facilities requiring periodic replacement.
• Dewatering Screens support construction and aggregate processing applications, with DIN 18305 governing groundwater lowering works for excavation and pipeline trench projects.
• Pumps & Wellpoint Systems provide groundwater control for construction and mining, with Xylem's Flygt Experior offering up to 50% energy savings compared to conventional wastewater pumps and the Flygt 2600 drainage range expanded with three new sludge pumps suitable for open-pit and underground mine dewatering.
• Other Technologies include solar sludge drying systems, with HUBER commissioning the SOLSTICE FloorRunner solar sewage sludge dryer in Kodersdorf in April 2025, and the Thermo-System technology developed in Germany for solar drying of sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants, dimensioned for sludge with 15-23% solids content.

Germany Dewatering Equipment Market by End-User
• Municipal Wastewater Treatment represents the largest application segment, with Germany operating over 10,000 municipal wastewater treatment plants. The Klärschlammverordnung mandates phosphorus recovery from sludge and sludge ash from 2029 for plants exceeding 100,000 PE, creating compliance-driven demand for dewatering equipment capable of producing high dry solids content. Replacement demand for aging municipal plants where the average installed base age exceeds 15 years accounts for over half of annual public sector procurement.
• Industrial applications encompass chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, and paper sectors. HUBER supplied three Q-Press 620 screw press units for sludge dewatering at a dairy industry wastewater treatment plant, with the industrial segment increasingly adopting automated, energy-optimised configurations. MSE Filterpressen's filtration systems are widely used in industrial production for separation of sludge, chemical substances, and petroleum.
• Mining & Mineral Processing is dominated by RAG Aktiengesellschaft's perpetual post-mining obligations, including controlled mine water management, groundwater purification, and polder measures across the Ruhr and Saar regions. The RAG-Stiftung finances these perpetual obligations to ensure rising pit water does not mix with higher-lying drinking water reserves.
• Construction & Infrastructure dewatering operates under DIN 18305:2019-09, requiring groundwater levels to be lowered to at least 0.50 metres below the planned excavation base. The standard specifies that success of groundwater lowering measures must be verified through measurements including piezometric level monitoring before and during excavation works, with measures permitted only when no damage to existing foundations or surroundings is expected.
• Oil & Gas operations require produced water treatment and dewatering, with GEA Westfalia Separator Group installing a system to clean drainage water on an oil platform achieving oil content of less than 5 ppm, within the regulatory requirement of 5-15 ppm for returning water to the sea. Bauer Water provides comprehensive produced water treatment systems incorporating chemical, electrochemical, biological, and thermal treatment processes.


Considered in this report
• Historic Year: 2020
• Base year: 2025
• Estimated year: 2026
• Forecast year: 2031

Aspects covered in this report
• Dewatering Equipment Market with its value and forecast along with its segments
• Various drivers and challenges
• On-going trends and developments
• Top profiled companies
• Strategic recommendation

By Equipment Type
• Sludge & Slurry Dewatering Equipment
• Groundwater Dewatering Equipment

By Technology
• Centrifuges
• Filter Presses
• Belt Filter Presses
• Screw Presses
• Vacuum Filters
• Dewatering Screens
• Pumps & Wellpoint Systems
• Other Technologies (Deep-Well Systems, Geotextile Dewatering Systems, Electro-Dewatering Systems and Other specialized dewatering technologies)

By End-User
• Municipal Wastewater Treatment
• Industrial
• Mining & Mineral Processing
• Construction & Infrastructure
• Oil & Gas