ECT’s rapid electrothermal mineralization technology could provide one of the first scalable solutions for complete PFAS destruction.
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), widely known as the “forever chemicals,” have long been a challenge to industry, regulators, and communities. Because the carbon and fluorine bonds are so stable, PFAS persist in soil and water, resist natural degradation, and accumulate over time. Environmental Clean Technologies (ASX: ECT) is currently advancing innovative remediation methods that go beyond just containing PFAS. it destroys them.
Challenge to PFAS
PFAS are synthetic chemicals used in a wide range of everyday products, from firefighting foams, nonstick cookware, disposable food containers, and antifouling textiles to industrial applications in aviation and electronics. Their strength lies in the bond between carbon and fluorine, which is one of the strongest bonds in chemistry and is therefore highly persistent in the environment, posing a significant health risk to all living organisms. 1
As known carcinogens, PFAS are associated with serious health risks, including cancer, immune system disruption, and reproductive and developmental problems. But what makes PFAS particularly alarming is how widespread they are. A global analysis of more than 45,000 water samples, including surface and groundwater, found PFAS in many major water source systems, with a significant portion exceeding drinking water guideline levels2. The study identified Australia, Europe, North America and China as major “hotspots” for pollution3.
In Europe alone, a major transnational study (the Forever Contamination Project) has mapped approximately 23,000 sites of suspected PFAS contamination, including more than 2,300 “hotspots” with high levels of contamination. 4
The scale is not only environmental, but human exposure is almost universal. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, PFAS have been detected in the blood or urine of people around the world.
In Australia, new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ 2022-24 National Health Measures Survey found that three types of PFAS (PFOS, PFOA and PFHxS) were detected in more than 85% of individuals surveyed aged 12 and over.
This global prevalence, combined with the diversity and persistence of PFAS, creates unique and difficult remediation challenges. Traditional cleanup methods such as soil washing, immobilization, or simple containment often displace but do not destroy PFAS. They may also generate secondary waste streams or fail to achieve the destruction efficiency necessary to ensure long-term environmental safety.
ECT’s innovative solution: REM technology
This year, Environmental Clean Technologies (ECT) acquired Terrajoule Pty Ltd, securing an exclusive option to license Rice University’s Flash Joule Heating (FJH) technology for the remediation of PFAS and heavy metal contaminated soils. The technology, developed by Professor James Tour and his team at Rice University in Texas, forms the basis of rapid electrothermal mineralization (REM), a process designed to permanently destroy PFAS rather than simply dislodge or contain them.
REM works by applying brief high-voltage electrical pulses to soil mixed with conductive additives. This rapidly heats the material to around 1,000°C within seconds, breaking the very strong carbon-fluorine bonds that make PFAS so persistent. Free fluorine reacts with calcium naturally present in the soil to form calcium fluoride (CaF₂), a stable, non-toxic mineral and one of the natural forms of fluorine. Laboratory tests have already demonstrated over 96% defluorination efficiency and 99.98% removal of PFOA, one of the most hazardous PFAS compounds, without producing secondary aqueous waste. Testing also confirmed that treated soil retained its fertility, offering the potential to remediate PFAS-contaminated land.
Importantly, tests have shown that treated soil can be activated to grow crops and plants. The process produces no secondary aqueous waste, avoids the production of volatile fluorides, offers the potential for on-site soil remediation, and reduces the need for large-scale transportation.
The acquisition of TerraJur allows ECT to develop a close relationship with Professor James Tour’s lab at Rice University, resulting in the appointment of Justin Sharp as Chief Technology Officer. Sharp, who holds a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Rice University and has worked closely with Professor Tour, brings extensive experience with electric heating systems and PFAS remediation to the team, strengthening ECT’s ability to refine and extend REM technology from laboratory demonstrations to field-ready systems.
“My background as a chemist and chemical engineer could not have been a better combination to study PFAS and their chemical interactions in the body, and how to remediate soils contaminated by them. FJH is an attractive and elegant solution to this problem, and my experience as the only chemical engineer in Dr. Tour’s lab has led me to several FJH We were able to work on derived systems and solve some of the challenges that we face today, including PFAS remediation. ”
Combining world-class scientific expertise, a strategic advisory board of subject matter experts, a structured commercialization pathway, and clearly defined milestones, ECT is positioned to bring REM technology to market as one of the first scalable solutions capable of destroying PFAS at the molecular level. This could be a breakthrough for regulators, industry, and affected communities around the world.
“The great thing about this method is that you don’t have to dig up all the soil and relocate it in one or several batches, you don’t need solvents, you don’t need water, you don’t need a waste treatment facility to treat the land. Our plan is to make this a mobile system so that anyone, anywhere can remediate land contaminated with PFAS,” Sharp said.
why is this important
PFAS contamination is more than just an environmental issue. It is rapidly becoming a major multi-billion restoration market worldwide. Governments, defense agencies, airports, and industrial operators are facing increasing pressure to remediate legacy PFAS sites.
The ECT approach is designed to be modular and potentially deployable in the field, avoiding the costs and risks associated with transporting contaminants. Treated soil can still be used structurally, reducing the need for landfill disposal and expensive backfill materials.
Looking to the future
ECT’s REM technology offers a compelling vision of turning one of the most difficult environmental pollutants into a problem that can be eliminated rather than endured.
If the company achieves development milestones, REM could become one of the first commercially scalable technologies that can safely, efficiently, and permanently mineralize PFAS. As regulatory pressures increase and PFAS debt grows around the world, technologies like REM will be essential to addressing the legacy of decades of chemical use.
Highlighting the personal drive behind this mission, Sharp said: “Remediating PFAS is a personal mission, not a scientific challenge. For decades, entire generations have been unknowingly exposed to these persistent chemicals, and my own generation has experienced their effects from childhood to early adulthood. My goal is to see a future where chronic health problems are no longer expected and communities no longer live with hidden toxins that threaten their long-term well-being.”
For more information about ECT, please visit our website.
References
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) (Research Triangle Park, North Carolina: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, March 2019, University of New South Wales, “PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ Exceed Drinking Water Guidelines in Global Source Waters,” ScienceDaily, April 8, 2024, “PFA Contamination Map ‘Forever Chemicals’ ‘Study shows water hotspots around the world’, CBS News, 2 May 2024 The Forever Pollution Project, ‘The Map of Forever Pollution’, ForeverPollution.eu, updated 6 November 2023 Australian Bureau of Statistics, ‘New ABS data on PFAS levels’, Media Release, 27 May 2025
This article will be published in an upcoming PFAS Special Focus Publication in January.
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