374Water's AirSCWO Technology Destroys PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' in Landfill Leachate
DURHAM, N.C., Aug. 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 374Water Inc. (NASDAQ:SCWO) ("374Water") (the "Company"), a global leader in organic waste destruction technology and services for the municipal, federal, and industrial markets, today announced the successful waste destruction of toxic PFAS in concentrated landfill leachate utilizing our commercial-scale AirSCWO system. These waste destruction results showcase the effectiveness of our AirSCWO technology to destroy one of the most problematic waste streams containing toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances ("PFAS"), producing effluent with PFAS concentrations at non-detectable levels.
Leachate is formed when rainwater filters through wastes placed in a landfill. When this liquid comes in contact with buried wastes, it leaches, or draws out, chemicals or constituents from those wastes. Landfill leachate is an inevitable byproduct of solid waste management, but growing concerns over toxins, environmental impact, and limited disposal options have turned landfill leachate management into a pressing issue for waste management companies as well as State and Local governments across the country.
Bloomberg recently posted an article highlighting real-world examples of health issues experienced by those living near U.S. landfills, including cancers, autoimmune disorders and heart problems, and denials by landfill operators.
With approximately 3,000 active landfills and over 10,000 capped landfills across the United States, PFAS-contaminated leachates are an increasing concern to Federal, State, and Local government agencies. Toxic PFAS are found in many everyday products, including food packaging, water resistant and waterproof materials, and cookware. Additionally, PFAS can be introduced to landfills through biosolids from wastewater treatment facilities. When these products and the manufacturing byproducts are landfilled, the PFAS can contaminate the landfill leachate stream.
Current leachate management strategies, such as treatment at a municipal wastewater treatment plant, are incapable of eliminating and destroying PFAS. This drives landfill owners to seek preventative measures such as increasing disposal fees for PFAS contaminated wastes or turning away contaminated wastes altogether. One solution is to pre-concentrate, via foam fractionation for example, then treat the concentrated leachate using innovative waste destruction technologies, such as the AirSCWO system, to fully eliminate and destroy PFAS from the leachate and eliminate dependence on municipal treatment plants for further downstream processing.
"This marks a crucial milestone for our AirSCWO technology" said Chris Gannon, CEO of 374Water. "The ability to destroy PFAS in landfill leachate—one of the most challenging waste streams—without detectable residues demonstrates not just technical success, but real-world impact. We are proud to deliver a sustainable, closed-loop solution that eliminates "forever chemicals" and reduces dependence on outdated treatment infrastructure.
"Landfill leachate contaminated with PFAS has become an increasingly concerning national problem with limited disposal options. Our AirSCWO system offers a breakthrough solution — destroying toxic compounds at the source, consistently achieving over 99.99% destruction of PFAS compounds, rather than transferring the problem downstream. This successful destruction project shows that our AirSCWO technology can help communities, landfill operators, and industries move beyond containment to true elimination." concluded Gannon.
374Water is capitalizing on the immediate opportunity to partner with landfill operators to reduce their liabilities and improve operational resilience and costs across more than 13,000 active and capped landfills. We believe 374Water's commercial-scale AirSCWO solutions represent the best destruction technology available to service this $80 million per year addressable market.
About 374Water
374Water Inc. (NASDAQ:SCWO) is a global industrial technology and services company providing innovative solutions addressing wastewater treatment and waste management issues within the municipal, federal and industrial markets. 374Water's AirSCWO technology is designed to efficiently destroy and mineralize a broad spectrum of non-hazardous and hazardous organic wastes, producing safe dischargeable water streams, safe mineral effluent, safe vent gas, and recoverable heat energy. 374Water's AirSCWO technology has the potential to assist its customers to meet discharge requirements, reduce or eliminate disposal costs, remove bottlenecks, and reduce litigation and other risks. 374Water continues to be a leader in innovative waste treatment solutions, dedicated to creating a greener future and eradicating harmful pollutants. Learn more by visiting www.374water.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
Cautionary Language on Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this communication are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance, including statements relating to the regulatory environment, demand for our solutions, our ability to destroy PFAS, and our future prospects and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or our achievements or those of our industry to be materially different from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words like "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "believe," "estimate," "project," "consider," "predict," "potential," "feel," or other comparable terminology. The Company has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations, assumptions, estimates, beliefs, and projections. While the Company believes these expectations, assumptions, estimates, and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond the Company's control. These and other important factors, including those discussed under "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-Q for the year quarter March 31, 2025, as well as the Company's subsequent filings with the SEC, may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements herein are made only as of the date they were first issued, and unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
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