374Water Achieves Breakthrough PFAS Destruction Results in Military Demonstration
374Water Inc. (NASDAQ: SCWO), has announced successful results from a U.S. Department of Defense demonstration project showing its AirSCWO technology destroyed over 99.9% of PFAS “forever chemicals” across multiple waste types. The third-party validated results confirm the technology’s ability to treat concentrated PFAS wastes generated at military bases, industrial facilities, and municipal water systems nationwide.
Military-Led Evaluation Project
The demonstration was conducted as part of an official project led by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP). Testing took place at Clean Earth’s Detroit facility using 374Water’s AirSCWO 6 System, which processed approximately 900 gallons of various concentrated PFAS-impacted waste streams over a six-week period from July to September 2025. Subsequently, results were evaluated by third-party firm ARCADIS, a global leader in environmental engineering, which served as the project’s independent partner.
Performance Across Multiple Waste Streams
AirSCWO was tested on six distinct PFAS-contaminated waste streams and met or exceeded every key performance objective. In some cases, PFAS contamination was reduced by the technology to non-detect levels or single parts per trillion, demonstrating readiness for operational deployment. Moreover, these waste types represent the hardest-to-treat streams generated from activities like firefighting training, water treatment operations, and industrial manufacturing.
Technology and Market Implications
Dr. Raj Melkote, Chief Technology Officer for 374Water, called the results “a defining moment for AirSCWO and for the PFAS destruction market as a whole”. The technology uses supercritical water oxidation, which operates at over 220 times atmospheric pressure and above 374 degrees Celsius to break down organic compounds into clean water, minerals, and recoverable energy. Additionally, Howard Teicher, Vice President of Government at 374Water, emphasized that performing technical demonstrations at scale builds essential trust within government agencies.
Public Presentation and Path Forward
The complete results were publicly presented at the Northeast Waste Management Officials Association (NEWMOA) Science of PFAS Conference on April 16, 2026, by PFAS treatment experts from ARCADIS. Furthermore, the demonstration represents a significant step toward providing the Department of Defense with commercial-scale PFAS treatment options for various scenarios. Notably, PFAS contamination has been discovered in high concentrations in groundwater under hundreds of military bases, largely from aqueous film forming foam used in firefighting training.
