Claros reports high PFAS destruction rates in groundwater pilot study

Claros Technologies has released results from a pilot study demonstrating ≥99.99% destruction of PFOS and PFOA using its ClarosTechUV system in groundwater from a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency remediation site in Lake Elmo.

The study evaluated the technology on a concentrated PFAS stream generated through foam fractionation of approximately one million gallons of contaminated groundwater and surface water. The resulting matrix—characterized by high turbidity and low UV transmittance—was designed to reflect real-world treatment conditions rather than controlled laboratory environments.

At commercial scale, the system achieved ≥99.99% destruction of targeted compounds within four hours on filtered concentrate derived from roughly 600,000 gallons of groundwater. Analytical results also showed an approximately 88% reduction in total organic fluorine, with a corresponding increase in inorganic fluoride, indicating mineralization of PFAS compounds.

“What this pilot makes clear is that ClarosTechUV is built for the realities of the field,” said Michelle Bellanca, CEO of Claros Technologies, in a press release. “Whether the water is clean or highly complex, low-transparency, or heavily loaded with PFAS, our system adapts and delivers consistent, high-level destruction performance.”

The company said the results support the technology’s scalability for remediation applications, with reported operating costs of approximately $0.015 per 1,000 gallons of untreated groundwater.