February, 2025 - Hundreds of areas throughout the country are impacted by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from historical use of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) to suppress fuel fires. PFAS are very stable in the environment, due to their unique chemical structure, and are relatively resistant to natural degradation processes.
In the Fall of 2023, Department of Defense’s DoD’s Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and the Defense Innovation Unit (DoD) launched a cohort of 10 prototype projects to demonstrate treatment technologies for PFAS-impacted media. Located across three DoD-identified installations, these efforts are demonstrating new technologies targeting remediation.
The goals of these prototype projects include:
Identifying the most efficient and effective way of removing and destroying PFAS in water, groundwater, soil, and sludge.
Evaluating emerging technologies to prove their ability to absorb and/or destroy PFAS on-site or at fixed facilities in the natural environments.
Standardizing impacted soil and water analytical and sampling methods to ensure an objective evaluation of cost and performance among the various vendors and prototype technologies.
Ten companies are demonstrating their technologies to advance PFAS remediation. ASRC Consulting and Environmental Services, Geosyntec in conjunction with Savron and TRS Group, Inc. - are demonstrating soil treatment technologies at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Allonnia, Cyclopure, and ECT2 are demonstrating water source remediation work at the former Naval Air Station Joint Base (NAS JRB) Willow Grove and Biddle Air National Guard (ANG) Base. In May of 2025, Aquagga, Arcadis in conjunction with 374Water, Battelle, and General Atomics will demonstrate their PFAS destruction technologies. Learn more here about how ESTCP and DIU are working towards ex situ groundwater treatment and PFAS destruction in soil and aqueous waste.
“These prototype demonstrations represent the first time that PFAS treatment technologies have been compared and demonstrated at this scale. These testbed demonstrations are strategically designed to conduct a side-by-side cost and performance evaluation among the various prototype technologies and represent a novel contribution to the industry for PFAS remediation,” said Dr. Kimberly Spangler, Executive Director for SERDP and ESTCP.
At the conclusion of the project, each vendor that proves their technology to be successful and that delivers against the commitments in their contract, will receive a Success Memo. The Success Memo is similar to a sole source contract in that it enables Government buyers to procure follow-on production contracts without the use of additional competitive procedures. These vendors will have the support of ESTCP and DIU to identify opportunities to scale their technology across the DoD. DIU will also help to educate and connect potential buyers with vendors.
Learn more about the value of a DIU Success Memo.
Vendor Summary: Clean-up Sites, Vendors & Technologies
Additional vendor information:
Arcadis US Inc. / 374 Water / Clean Earth
ASRC Consulting & Environmental Services
Battelle Memorial Institute / Revive
ECT2 (Emerging Compounds Treatment Technologies)