374Water Inc. has delivered its AirSCWO 6 System to Clean Earth’s facility in Detroit to begin a series of commercial-scale demonstrations as part of a US Department of Defense (DoD) initiative to aid PFAS destruction.
The initiative aims to evaluate commercial technologies capable of aiding PFAS destruction from military waste streams.
The testing campaign is expected to start in August, following a three-week installation and commissioning period. It is part of a previously announced project led by the Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP).
“After multiple successful PFAS destruction demonstrations for federal and industrial clients, we believe this project will be a significant step toward providing the DoD with commercial-scale PFAS treatment options for a variety of scenarios,” stated Chris Gannon, CEO of 374Water.
The urgent need to advance PFAS destruction
PFAS, commonly used in firefighting foams and industrial applications, are persistent in the environment and linked to adverse health effects.
The DoD is under pressure to address contamination, especially with mandates such as the National Defense Authorization Act, requiring a transition to fluorine-free firefighting foams by October 2024.
Analysis of upstream treatment technologies
The stream demonstrations include three sources directly from DoD facilities and three that have been treated through upstream technologies.
Arcadis, the project’s prime engineering contractor, will conduct comprehensive analysis of air and liquid effluent samples post-treatment.
The demonstrations follow several successful PFAS destruction tests by 374Water for federal and industrial clients.
