ECT’s Rapid Electrothermal Mineralisation technology could deliver one of the first scalable solutions for complete PFAS destruction.
Per – and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), widely known as ‘forever chemicals’, have long posed a challenge for industries, regulators, and communities. With their exceptionally stable carbon-fluorine bonds, PFAS persist in soil and water, resist natural degradation, and accumulate over time. Environmental Clean Technologies (ASX: ECT) is now advancing a breakthrough remediation method that doesn’t simply contain PFAS; it destroys them.
The PFAS challenge
PFAS are synthetic chemicals used in a vast range of everyday products, from firefighting foam, non-stick cookware, single-use food containers, and stain-resistant textiles to industrial uses in aviation and electronics. Their strength lies in the carbon-fluorine bond, one of the strongest in chemistry, which also makes them highly persistent in the environment and poses a significant health risk to all living organisms.1
As known carcinogens, PFAS have been linked to serious health risks, including cancer, immune system disruption, and reproductive and developmental issues. However, what makes PFAS particularly alarming is how widespread they have become. A global analysis of more than 45,000 water samples, including surface water and groundwater, found PFAS in many major source‐water systems, with a significant portion exceeding drinking-water guideline levels.2 The research identified Australia, Europe, North America, and China as major ‘hot spots’ for contamination.3
In Europe alone, a major cross-border investigation (the Forever Pollution Project) mapped nearly 23,000 sites suspected of PFAS contamination, including more than 2,300 ‘hotspots’ with high levels of pollution.4
The scale is not only environmental, but human exposure is also nearly universal. According to the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, PFAS have been detected in the blood or urine of people worldwide.
In Australia, new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’s 2022–24 National Health Measures Survey found that three types of PFAS (PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS) were detected in over 85% of surveyed individuals aged 12 and over.5
This global prevalence, combined with the diversity and persistence of PFAS, creates a uniquely difficult remediation problem. Traditional cleanup methods, such as soil washing, immobilisation, or simple containment, often transfer but do not destroy PFAS. They can also generate secondary waste streams or fail to achieve the destruction efficiencies needed to ensure long-term environmental safety.
ECT’s game-changing solution: REM technology
This year, Environmental Clean Technologies (ECT) acquired Terrajoule Pty Ltd, securing the exclusive option to license Rice University’s Flash Joule Heating (FJH) technology for the remediation of PFAS and heavy metal-contaminated soils. The technology, developed by Professor James Tour and his team at Rice University in Texas, forms the basis of Rapid Electrothermal Mineralisation (REM) – a process designed to permanently destroy PFAS rather than simply move or contain it.
REM works by applying a short, high-voltage electric pulse through soil mixed with a conductive additive. This rapidly heats the material to around 1,000°C within seconds, breaking the exceptionally strong carbon–fluorine bonds that make PFAS so persistent. The freed fluorine then reacts with naturally occurring calcium in the soil, forming calcium fluoride (CaF₂), a stable, non-toxic mineral, and one of the natural forms of fluorine. Laboratory tests have already demonstrated over 96% defluorination efficiency and 99.98% removal of PFOA, one of the most harmful PFAS compounds, all without producing secondary aqueous waste. Testing has also identified that treated soil retains its fertility, offering the possibility to reclaim PFAS-contaminated land.
Importantly, testing showed that the treated soil can be revitalised to grow crops and plant life. The process produces no secondary aqueous waste, avoids the formation of volatile fluorides and offers the potential for on-site soil remediation, reducing the need for large-scale transport.
The Terrajoule acquisition has allowed ECT to develop a close relationship with Professor James Tour’s lab at Rice University, which has resulted in the appointment of Mr Justin Sharp as Chief Technology Officer. Sharp, who holds a Master’s in Chemical Engineering from Rice and has worked closely with Professor Tour, brings extensive experience in electrothermal systems and PFAS remediation to the team, strengthening ECT’s capability to refine and scale the REM technology from laboratory demonstrations to field-ready systems.
Reflecting on the path that led him to this role, Sharp explained: “My background as a chemist and chemical engineer couldn’t have been a better combination for studying PFAS and its chemical interactions in the body, and how to remediate soil that’s been polluted by it. FJH is a fascinatingly elegant solution to this problem, and my experience as the sole chemical engineer in Dr Tour’s lab allowed me to work on several FJH-derivative systems to solve several challenges we face today, including PFAS remediation.”
By combining world-class scientific expertise, a Strategic Advisory Board of subject matter experts, a structured commercialisation pathway, and clearly defined milestones, ECT is positioning itself to bring REM technology to market as one of the first scalable solutions capable of destroying PFAS at the molecular level. This would represent a potential breakthrough for regulators, industry and affected communities worldwide.
“What’s incredible about this method is we don’t need to dig up all of the soil and relocate it all at once or several times, we don’t need solvents or water, and we don’t need a waste processing facility for treating the land. Our plan is to make this a mobile system, so that anyone, anywhere, can have PFAS-contaminated land be remediated,” said Sharp.
Why this matters
PFAS contamination isn’t just an environmental problem; it’s rapidly becoming a major global remediation market worth several billion. Governments, defence organisations, airports, and industrial operators face rising pressure to remediate legacy PFAS sites.
ECT’s approach is designed to be modular and potentially deployable on-site, avoiding the costs and risks of transporting contaminated material. Treated soil remains structurally usable, reducing the need for landfill disposal or expensive backfill material.
Looking ahead
ECT’s REM technology offers a compelling vision: turning one of the most intractable environmental pollutants into a problem that can be eliminated rather than endured.
If the company achieves its development milestones, REM could represent one of the first commercially scalable technologies able to mineralise PFAS safely, efficiently, and permanently. As regulatory pressure intensifies and PFAS liabilities mount worldwide, technologies like REM will be essential to addressing the legacy of decades of chemical use.
Highlighting the personal drive behind this mission, Sharp noted: “PFAS remediation is more than a scientific challenge – it’s a personal mission. For decades, entire generations have been unknowingly exposed to these persistent chemicals. My own generation has experienced its effects throughout childhood and early adulthood. My goal is to see a future where chronic health issues are no longer expected, and where communities aren’t living with hidden toxins that threaten long-term wellbeing.”
To find out more about ECT, visit our website.
References
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) (Research Triangle Park, NC: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, March 2019
- University of New South Wales, “PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ Above Drinking Water Guidelines in Global Source Water,” ScienceDaily, April 8, 2024
- “PFA Contamination Map Shows ‘Forever Chemical’ Water Hotspots Worldwide, According to Study,” CBS News, May 2, 2024
- The Forever Pollution Project, “The Map of Forever Pollution,” ForeverPollution.eu, updated November 6, 2023
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, “New ABS Data on PFAS Levels,” media release, May 27, 2025
