Verralize enables on-site PFAS analysis and detection at 4 PPT in minutes.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination presents a dual challenge for environmental protection: not only must these ‘forever chemicals’ be removed from water supplies, but they must first be detected – rapidly, accurately, and cost-effectively. While remediation technologies continue to advance, detection has remained largely centralised in specialised laboratories, creating bottlenecks in response time and driving up costs for utilities, industrial users, and remediation contractors.
Verralize has developed a breakthrough portable PFAS detection system that brings laboratory-comparable screening directly to the field. Using a proprietary nanocarbon-based electrochemical biosensor platform, the system can detect PFAS compounds at concentrations as low as 4 parts per trillion (ppt) in just 12-15 minutes, enabling immediate operational decisions without the days or weeks typically required for laboratory analysis.
The detection challenge
Current standard methods for PFAS analysis rely predominantly on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), requiring sophisticated laboratory infrastructure, highly trained personnel, and complex sample preparation protocols. While LC-MS provides definitive identification and quantification of PFAS compounds, the process typically takes days to weeks from sample collection to results, with costs ranging from $300-$500 per sample.
This creates significant operational challenges:
- Delayed decision-making at remediation sites
- Inability to rapidly screen multiple locations
- High costs that limit sampling frequency and
coverage - Logistical complexity of sample preservation and
shipping - Bottlenecks in emergency response scenarios
These limitations have created an urgent need for field-deployable screening tools that can provide actionable data in real time while maintaining sensitivity appropriate for regulatory thresholds – now as low as 4 ppt for certain compounds.
Verralize’s innovative approach
Verralize has engineered a portable detection platform and PFAS field test kit that addresses these challenges through a novel combination of materials science, electrochemistry, and artificial intelligence.
Core technology
At the heart of Verralize’s system is a multiplexed array of nanocarbon-based sensors, each functionalised with proprietary ligands that selectively bind to specific PFAS molecules. The nanocarbon substrate provides exceptional electronic properties that enable ultra-sensitive detection, while the specialised ligand chemistry ensures selectivity for target PFAS compounds.
When PFAS molecules bind to these ligands, they induce measurable changes in electrical conductivity across the nanocarbon surface. These signals are captured, processed through proprietary algorithms, and translated into concentration values.
Key technical components include:
- Sensor chemistry: nanocarbon-based sensors with proprietary ligand functionalisation for PFAS selectivity
- Detection mechanism: Electrochemical signal transduction with voltage-based readout
- Sensitivity: Routine detection at approximately 4 ppt, with demonstrated capability down to 1.5 ppt in controlled conditions
- Multiplexing: Current platform houses eight sensors per test, with next-generation 32-sensor array in development
- Analysis time: 12-15 minutes from sample introduction to quantitative results
- Target analytes: Initial validation for PFOA and PFOS, with roadmap for expanded coverage
System architecture
The complete PFAS test kit comprises three main components:
- Reusable analyser: A self-calibrating, portable instrument approximately the size of a medium coffee thermos that houses the electronics, signal processing, and user interface components
- Disposable sample cup: Single-use container for water sample introduction
- Sensing lid: Single-use consumable containing the multiplexed nanosensor array, which interfaces with both the water sample and analyser
This modular design follows a razor-and-blade commercial model similar to point-of-care (POC) diagnostics, ensuring measurement consistency while preventing cross-contamination between tests. The analyser connects to a cloud-based application for data logging, quality control, and result visualisation.
Validation and real-world performance
Verralize’s technology has undergone extensive laboratory validation and alpha testing across diverse water matrices. To date, testing has included:
- Internal laboratory validation with spiked samples across a concentration range from 1.5 ppt to 1,000 ppt
- Field testing across the New York tri-state region with various drinking water sources
- Alpha testing encompassing approximately two thousand water samples in collaboration with remediation and/or alpha partners
- AI-driven algorithm refinement to compensate for matrix effects and improve quantification accuracy
Results demonstrate consistent detection capability at approximately 4 ppt for routine field use, with laboratory demonstrations achieving sensitivity down to 1.5 ppt under controlled conditions. The system shows high selectivity for target PFAS compounds with minimal interference from common water constituents.
Dr Saion Sinha, CEO of Verralize, explains: “Our nanocarbon-based sensor array and AI-driven analytics turn single drops of water into actionable intelligence in minutes. We’re rigorous about validation: thousands of alpha samples already demonstrate real-world performance, and with BioLargo as our distribution partner, we’ll accelerate field reach and complete the broader validation needed for national deployment.”
Strategic partnership with BioLargo
Verralize has established a strategic partnership with BioLargo, a leader in innovative water treatment technologies and developer of the Aqueous Electrostatic Concentrator (AEC) solution for PFAS removal and destruction. This collaboration creates a powerful synergy between detection and remediation capabilities.
BioLargo will serve as Verralize’s alpha testing partner and future distribution channel, providing access to contaminated water samples for validation and leveraging their nationwide presence and PFAS expertise for market penetration.
“Rapid, on-site PFAS detection is transformative for the PFAS treatment market,” states Tonya Chandler, President of BioLargo Equipment Solutions & Technologies. “Verralize’s kit combines simplicity, affordability, and the ability to differentiate PFAS compounds, proving invaluable for our clients. As we integrate detection and treatment, real-time analytics fundamentally improves decision speed and outcomes.”
This partnership enables a comprehensive approach to PFAS management, where Verralize’s rapid detection capabilities inform and optimise BioLargo’s remediation efforts, creating an end-to-end solution for contamination assessment and treatment.
Applications and use cases
Verralize’s portable PFAS detection system addresses multiple critical applications across the water quality management landscape:
- Municipal water monitoring: Rapid screening of drinking water, water treatment process monitoring, and distribution system verification.
- Remediation site management: Real-time breakthrough monitoring, treatment efficacy verification, and site characterisation.
- Industrial discharge compliance: Pre-discharge screening and process control for industrial users.
- Emergency response: Immediate contamination assessment following suspected releases.
- Community outreach: On-site testing for private wells and public water systems.
The technology is particularly valuable for time-sensitive applications where waiting days for laboratory results would delay critical operational decisions or public health interventions.
Technology roadmap and future developments
Verralize is currently in the pre-commercialisation phase, with market launch anticipated in Q1 2026. The development roadmap includes several key initiatives:
- Expansion from 8 to 32 sensors to broaden analyte coverage, particularly for short-chain PFAS compounds
- Completion of validation studies with samples from all 50 states
- Independent comparative studies against LC-MS reference methods
- Enhanced AI algorithms for matrix compensation and interference rejection
- Optimisation of consumable design for cost and environmental impact
- Integration with cloud-based data management systems for enterprise deployment
Market impact and positioning
The addressable market for field-deployable PFAS detection exceeds $500m annually across utilities, remediation contractors, industrial dischargers, and compliance testing services. Verralize’s technology represents a disruptive advancement in this space, offering:
- Speed: 12-15 minutes versus days/weeks for laboratory testing
- Sensitivity: Detection at regulatory-relevant levels (4 ppt routine, demonstrated to 1.5 ppt)
- Simplicity: Designed for non-expert operators with minimal training
- Portability: Field-deployable system requiring no laboratory infrastructure
- Selectivity: Discrimination between PFAS compounds through multiplexed sensor arrays
- Cost-effectiveness: Significant reduction in per-test costs compared to laboratory methods
While the system is designed as a screening and operational decision-support tool rather than a regulatory replacement for LC-MS confirmatory analysis, it fills a critical gap in the PFAS management workflow by enabling rapid, on-site assessment that can guide sampling strategies, treatment operations, and emergency response.
Conclusion
As regulatory pressures intensify and PFAS monitoring requirements expand, the need for rapid, field-deployable detection technologies becomes increasingly urgent. Verralize’s nanocarbon-based electrochemical biosensor platform represents a significant advancement in addressing this challenge, bringing laboratory-level sensitivity to the field in a portable, user-friendly format.
By dramatically reducing the time and cost barriers to PFAS testing, this technology enables more comprehensive monitoring, faster response to contamination events, and more efficient remediation efforts. When combined with advanced treatment technologies like BioLargo’s AEC system, it creates a powerful end-to-end solution for PFAS management.
For more information, participation in our alpha testing programme, or demonstration inquiries, contact: marilyn.b@verralize.com.
