‘Forever chemicals’ are everywhere – but these companies are determined to destroy them
It was something of a lark where Heather Koponen went to the screening of “Black Water” – Mark Ruffalo’s film about dangerous chemicals “forever” polluting streams and drinking water.
He really liked the movie and took home a free testing kit provided by the nonprofit organization that organized the event to test his drinking water for contaminants, known as PFAS.
Koponen, a retired physician’s assistant, lives on the outskirts of Fairbanks, Alaska, in a home that once belonged to his parents. He knew about PFAS contamination in the area from firefighting foams used at military bases and airports, and he had local friends who believed their health had been harmed by the chemicals. Koponen thought he was in the clear given his position in relation to potential sources.
“Surprise, surprise, the well that my parents had installed in 1966, it had the best tasting water in the world and it was west of known pollution, it had high levels of PFAS,” Koponen said. “We didn’t believe it, so we re-examined several times.”
PFAS – a family of industrial chemicals used in non-stick pans, food packaging, and as grease and water repellants in clothes and carpets – are contaminating water and soil across the US and the world. Most people have detectable levels in their blood.
The chemicals have been linked to reduced immune response, developmental delays in children, increased incidence of cancer and hormonal effects such as reduced fertility.
As PFAS has become widespread in the environment, techniques to control and destroy persistent contamination have been scarce and expensive.
Now, decades into the crisis, that is finally changing. In this first episode of Positive Charge, GeekWire’s podcast about sustainability and the fight against climate change, we go inside the effort to build and implement technology that can effectively destroy PFAS. Two leading companies are based in Western Washington: Aquagga and Sedron Technologies.
PFAS explosion in Tacoma
Located in downtown Tacoma, Aquagga conducts its R&D operations within the Petrich Marine building – a former marble facility on Thea Foss’ improved waterway. Inside a cavernous wooden structure, the startup builds devices that treat PFAS pollution from concentrated sources, housed in easy-to-carry transport containers painted bright white.
“We can go inside,” said Brian Pinkard, Aquagga’s co-founder and chief technology officer, ushering visitors into one of the containers. “It’s a little dirty. Watch your step. Just don’t touch anything. That’s one rule.”
The system uses alkaline hydrothermal treatment, or HALT, to blast PFAS with high temperatures and extremely alkaline conditions — think super-strong bleach. Dirty wastewater flows through the machine, and the process breaks down the chemicals into smaller, harmless components, including carbon and fluoride compounds.
The product is not safe for drinking water, but the technology destroys more than 99.99% of PFAS.
In recent years, Aquagga has treated wastewater from a variety of sources, including an underground cesspool that once held 20,000 gallons of waste at Fairbanks International Airport. A project with the Department of Defense managed 3,000 gallons of waste in North Carolina. DOD alone has an estimated 2 million gallons of firefighting foam containing PFAS stored for disposal.
Turning waste into a weapon against PFAS
Sedron was not introduced to combat PFAS. It started purifying sewage into drinkable water – which it once provided to Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
Janicki Industries, an aerospace engineering and manufacturing company, received a grant in 2011 from what is now the Gates Foundation. The aid organization wanted a wastewater treatment system for use in developing countries. That project led to the creation of the Sedron.
The company develops systems to treat dairy waste and municipal biosolids – a by-product from wastewater treatment plants. Sedron dries the biosolids in an energy-efficient thermal dryer, turning them into biofuel that is fed into a biomass boiler. The boiler generates electricity that is cycled back to power the dryer and generate excess clean energy sold to the grid.
This system also destroys PFAS that contaminates sewage, escapes from consumer goods or passes through people.
“When you have biosolids in these hot systems that are heated above 900 degrees Celsius, they sit there for more than two seconds, and there is enough turbulence within that system, the literature suggests, that PFAS is destroyed,” said Meghan Carlo, Sedron’s senior permits manager.
Without this treatment, biosolids will often be returned to the site as fertilizer is spread on farms, golf courses or similar sites – keeping PFAS from being spread.
It’s a long road to clean water
Solutions to clean up PFAS exist, but the magnitude of the problem is staggering. One academic study estimated the cost of removing a subclass of PFAS from the environment at the same rate they are released: somewhere between $20 trillion and $7,000 trillion per year.
In 2024, the Biden administration established the nation’s first drinking water limits on six types of PFAS, setting a ceiling of 4 parts per trillion — about the water level of five Olympic swimming pools. The Trump administration is moving forward to cancel four of the six restrictions and delay compliance on two others.
States are moving forward with their own restrictions on PFAS in drinking water, including monitoring requirements and restrictions on how and where the chemicals can be used. The resulting debt concerns of municipalities and other stakeholders increase the demand for cleaning technology.
Aquagga has devices available for rent, purchase or demonstration projects. Sedron broke ground this year on a landfill in South Florida that will serve municipalities with 2 million homes, and is expected to begin operations in 2028.
Fairbanks resident Heather Koponen needs a solution now. Her options include an hour-long round trip to a natural spring to fill five-gallon jugs, delivery from a local company whose water appears to have low levels of PFAS contamination, or PFAS filters such as Brita.
But you’re also focused on the big picture.
“The most important thing is to prevent further pollution,” he said. “We have to think about future generations and the future planet.”
Sources and references
Discussions:
- Brian Pinkard, Aquagga, founder and chief technology officer
- Heather Koponen, Fairbanks, Alaska, resident affected by PFAS
- Stephanie Dotterer, Sedron Technologies, director of strategy
- Meghan Carlo, Sedron Technologies, senior permissions manager
Additional sources:
