US firm Claros Technologies has completed a commercial-scale run of its proprietary UV-photochemical PFAS destruction method, reportedly achieving over 99.99% destruction across long, short, and ultra-short chain PFAS while treating more than 170,000 gallons of industrial wastewater at high flow.
Announced on 15 December, the work was carried out with Daikin America – the US manufacturing arm of Japan-based Daikin Industries and one of the world’s largest PFAS producers. It appears to have been one of the largest-scale – if not the largest – trials of in-field PFAS destruction ever conducted.
Unlike high-temperature incineration – so far the only definitive PFAS destruction solution, in recent appraisals – the UV-based destruction method is applicable to high-flow industrial wastewater, potentially allowing PFAS destruction without intermediate capture and off-site transport. If the approach is validated at full scale, it could therefore reduce reliance on downstream disposal pathways.
“Over the past year, we’ve proven that complete PFAS destruction at industrial scale is not theoretical—it’s happening now,” said David Hendrixson, Executive Vice President of Daikin America.
In this latest phase, the ClarosTechUV™ system treated more than 170,000 gallons (approximately 640,000 liters) of industrial process water containing a range of PFAS compounds. The system achieved greater than 99.99% destruction of all targeted PFAS species—long, short, and ultra-short chain—at high flow rates capable of hundreds of gallons per minute while demonstrating stable performance and exceptional energy efficiency as well, according to the group.
Through its collaboration with DAI and other industrial partners, Claros said it has now processed more than half a million gallons of PFAS-containing industrial process water at industrial facilities, demonstrating consistent, verified destruction performance across diverse concentrations and water chemistries.
The two firms are now said to be working towards engineering and system specifications for the first full-scale PFAS destruction commercial installation.
The ClarosTechUV™ next-generation PFAS destruction system reputedly demonstrated: effectiveness across long, short, and ultra-short chain PFAS (including TFA); 99.99% destruction of PFAS across all targeted species; a high-flow capability of hundreds of gallons per minute (thousands of litres per minute); a compact footprint for seamless integration; a safe, reliable UV-based technology; and low-cost performance suited for industrial remediation applications.
