With the persistent problem of PFAS and the challenges posed by traditional treatment methods, Invicta Water is addressing the urgent need for innovative solutions to combat environmental contamination.
In recent years, the issue of persistent environmental contaminants has moved to the forefront of global environmental and public health discussions. Among these, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – commonly known as PFAS or ‘forever chemicals’ – have become some of the most concerning. Their widespread presence, durability, and potential health impacts have made understanding, managing, and eliminating PFAS a critical priority for scientists, regulators, communities, and industries alike.
Understanding PFAS and why they are called ‘forever chemicals’
PFAS compounds are synthetic chemicals introduced in the mid-20th century for their unique properties. They are characterised by strong carbon-fluorine bonds, which contribute to their chemical stability and resistance to degradation. Because of these bonds, PFAS do not easily break down in the environment, leading to their nickname: ‘forever chemicals.’ Once released into nature, they can linger for decades or even centuries, accumulating in soil, water, wildlife, and humans.
Their ability to resist environmental breakdown makes PFAS highly functional in various applications. They are used to manufacture non-stick cookware, stain- and water-resistant textiles, firefighting foams, food packaging, and many other consumer products. While these applications have been beneficial in terms of performance, they have also contributed to widespread environmental contamination.
The scope and impact of PFAS contamination
The pervasive use of PFAS has led to alarming levels of environmental and health concerns. The Waterkeeper Alliance estimates that over 80% of US water sources have detectable levels of PFAS contamination, while the US Department of the Interior provides the estimate that as much as 45% of the nation’s tap water contains PFAS. These chemicals pervade groundwater supplies, soil, and even the food chain, posing a risk to human health and ecosystems.
Multiple epidemiological studies have established links between PFAS exposure and adverse health effects. These include increased risks of certain cancers (such as kidney and testicular cancer), liver damage, immune system suppression, hormonal disruption, and developmental issues in children. Furthermore, PFAS exposure may impair vaccine efficacy and cause reproductive health problems.
Given these risks, governments and regulatory agencies around the world are increasingly adopting stricter standards and guidelines. In the US, the EPA has set limits on the amount of certain PFAS that is allowable in drinking water, and federal, state, and local agencies are all enacting wastewater and discharging limits on PFAS in water systems. The sheer volume of contaminated sites and the resilience of PFAS make remediation an enormous challenge. Emerging estimates suggest that the costs to clean up and remediate PFAS contamination globally could reach trillions of dollars, emphasising the urgent need for innovative, effective solutions.
Limitations of traditional treatment methods
Traditional approaches to removing PFAS from water include activated carbon filtration, ion exchange resins, and reverse osmosis. These methods can effectively remove some PFAS compounds from water, but they suffer from significant limitations:
- Partial removal: While effective at capturing certain PFAS, they do not destroy the chemicals, merely transfer them from water into waste streams. Further, removing short-chain PFAS from water is a unique challenge for some of these methods.
- Secondary waste generation: Spent activated carbon or resin, and reject brine from reverse osmosis, become hazardous waste needing proper management and disposal, often at high cost and complexity.
- High operational costs: These systems require substantial energy input, significant real estate, logistics and inventory management, and frequent replacement or regeneration of filter media.
- Limited scalability and practicality: These technologies are often expensive and difficult to deploy at large scales or in remote areas. These methods are also seen as prohibitively expensive in dollars and environmental costs at a national or global scale.
Most critically, these methods address only the symptom – contaminated water – without eliminating the root issue: the chemical itself. This creates a cycle of ongoing management rather than a true solution.
Invicta Water’s revolutionary approach to PFAS management
Recognising these limitations, Invicta Water has pioneered a revolutionary process designed to not only remove PFAS from water but to completely destroy these persistent chemicals—effectively tackling the problem at its source.
Invicta Water’s technology is based on advanced materials science and innovation, and it employs a three-step, continuous process that harnesses air, water, light, and proprietary engineered crystalline catalysts to both extract and destroy PFAS compounds.
Step one – Stripping
The foundation of Invicta Water’s stripping process is an innovative, patent-pending, enhanced foam fractionation technique. In this stage, PFAS molecules in water are forced to collide with air bubbles. Due to their surface-active nature, PFAS molecules attach to these bubbles and are lifted from the water stream. At the end of the Stripping Process, there are two streams of water: the effluent, which is PFAS-free, and a foamate waste stream. The foamate, which is now a concentrated PFAS-laden foam, is only a small fraction (about 3-5%) of the incoming water volume. However, the captured PFAS in this foamate is highly concentrated, often 100 times more concentrated than the original water, which sets the stage for an efficient destruction process.
Step two – Enrichment: Concentrating PFAS for complete destruction
During this stage, the waste stream, now significantly reduced in volume, undergoes a proprietary enrichment process. This process operates at ambient pressure and temperature, meaning it doesn’t require energy-intensive conditions, yet it effectively increases the PFAS concentration by another 50 to 100 times. For example, water that initially contains around 20 nanograms per litre (ng/L) of PFAS can be enriched into a waste stream with a concentration exceeding 100,000 ng/L when it exits step two, making it optimal for the subsequent destruction phase.
This concentration is critical to ensure that the destruction process will operate at optimal conditions, which enhances the overall efficiency of destruction and ensures that no residual chemicals remain.
Step three – Complete destruction of PFAS
The final step of Invicta Water’s process is the actual destruction of the concentrated PFAS waste. Unlike traditional methods that merely transfer these chemicals to waste streams, Invicta’s patent-pending system ensures complete mineralisation, turning harmful PFAS into harmless molecules. The mineralisation is done within the Invicta Water system, without the need for any further transport, external media, vendors, or logistics to manage.
This process takes place within a specialised chamber, which mixes the PFAS compounds with patented catalytic crystals. The conditions inside the chamber, combined with the massive amount of crystal surface area (more than five football fields), ensure that the PFAS compounds will collide with crystals. When they collide, the PFAS are adsorbed directly to the surface of the crystals, which allows for the catalytic reaction to be ‘hyper-localised’ and occur directly at the surface of the crystals.
Now that the PFAS molecules are directly on the surface of the crystals, UV light is used to energise the crystals, which starts the destruction process. UV light stimulates the catalytic crystals, causing them to emit electrons. These electrons initiate a catalytic process that breaks the chemical bonds of PFAS molecules – destroying them completely and converting them into harmless, inorganic molecules such as carbon dioxide, water, and fluoride ions.
This process occurs under continuous, ambient conditions, meaning it doesn’t require high temperatures or pressures, making it highly energy efficient. As the PFAS molecules are broken down into non-toxic constituents, no hazardous waste or byproducts are produced, which eliminates concerns about secondary waste disposal.
A continuous, cyclical system with unmatched efficacy
What’s remarkable about Invicta Water’s approach is its cyclical, continuous operation. The system uses patent-pending recycling loops to ensure that all PFAS compounds- long chain, short chain, and precursors – are removed and destroyed. The recycling loops guarantee maximum destruction efficiency and scalability, from small community systems to large municipal treatment plants.
Invicta Water’s process is deployed in multiple locations in the southeastern United States and has demonstrated the capability to effectively remove and destroy both long-chain and short-chain PFAS, as well as PFAS precursors from Drinking Water, Wastewater, and Industrial Waste streams.
Invicta Water’s innovative system offers significant advantages over existing technologies:
- Complete elimination of PFAS
Unlike traditional filtration methods, Invicta’s process destroys PFAS molecules entirely, leaving no hazardous residuals or secondary waste streams. This breakthrough means the chemical permanently exits the environmental cycle rather than being temporarily stored or transferred. - Cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency
The system operates at ambient conditions, vastly reducing energy consumption compared to high-pressure reverse osmosis or heat-intensive thermal destruction. Consequently, capital and operational costs are substantially lower, making large-scale deployment economically feasible. The simplified design and use of scalable ‘unit cells’ further reduce manufacturing costs and enable rapid installation. - Minimal waste and environmental impact
By mineralising PFAS into benign molecules, Invicta eliminates disposal challenges associated with highly toxic spent filtration media or concentrated waste brine. This environmentally responsible approach aligns with sustainable practices and reduces long-term liabilities. - Scalability and flexibility
The modular design based on the ‘unit cell’ concept means the system can be tailored to any flow rate or size requirement – from a single residential home to extensive municipal water treatment facilities. This flexibility accelerates deployment and broadens access to clean water solutions. - Rapid deployment and standardisation
Manufactured via mass production techniques, Invicta’s systems can be assembled and installed in weeks rather than years. Standardisation ensures consistent performance, quality, and durability across diverse settings.
The broader impact and future outlook
Invicta Water’s breakthrough technology represents a critical milestone in the global effort to combat PFAS contamination. While existing technologies manage the problem indirectly, Invicta’s approach offers a transformative alternative: removing these chemicals from the environment at their source and destroying them permanently.
This innovation has the potential to significantly reduce cleanup costs, lower health risks, and restore environmental integrity. It aligns with ongoing regulatory efforts and societal demands for safer, sustainable water management practices.
Please note, this article will also appear in the 23rd edition of our quarterly publication.
