SBIR-STTR Award

On-Site Destruction of PFAS-Impacted Liquids
Award last edited on: 8/18/2024

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
DOD : DARPA
Total Award Amount
$1,540,417
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
AF211-CSO1
Principal Investigator
Christopher Woodruff

Company Information

Aquagga Inc

Center for Urban Waters OLympic Street
Tacoma, WA 98421
   (253) 310-5882
   founders@aquagga.com
   www.aquagga.com
Location: Single
Congr. District: 09
County: Juneau City and Borough

Phase I

Contract Number: FA8649-21-P-1138
Start Date: 4/16/2021    Completed: 7/19/2021
Phase I year
2021
Phase I Amount
$50,000
On-site disposal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) contaminated wet wastes and brines remains a pressing need within the environmental remediation industry for both Defense and non-Defense customers. Aquagga is developing a continuous, field-deployable hydrothermal reactor that leverages the unique properties of high-temperature, high-pressure (HTHP) water, amended with cheap and commercially available reagents, to completely mineralize PFAS compounds to concentrations below EPA health advisory levels. Hydrothermal processing is “PFAS agnostic,” in that all PFASs are mineralized under the reaction conditions, and the contained reaction environment prevents the off-gassing of volatile fluorocarbons. For these reasons, hydrothermal processing is the best candidate technology for the safe disposal of aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) stockpiles and high-concentration filtration byproducts.

Phase II

Contract Number: W912CG23C0006
Start Date: 12/21/2022    Completed: 1/22/2026
Phase II year
2023
Phase II Amount
$1,490,417
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been used extensively for DoD firefighting applications due to their thermochemical stability and unique properties. PFAS are recalcitrant environmental pollutants and bioaccumulative toxins, presenting DoD installations with significant environmental compliance and remediation challenges. The most significant PFAS issues are a direct result of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) discharge for fire training activities. The US Air Force began using AFFF in 1970, with an estimated 200+ installations in the U.S. suspected to have AFFF releases. This has resulted in 190+ Remedial Investigations (RIs) and >$800M in total expenditures to-date on PFAS-related actions. DoD-wide costs related to PFAS response are estimated at >$2B for FY 2021 with increasing future costs. Aquagga’s continuous flow hydrothermal alkaline treatment (HALT) systems are proven to destroy PFAS safely and effectively in a variety of liquid matrices. In this Phase II project, a mobile HALT system will be deployed at two Air Force Bases for demonstrations of on-site treatment and disposal of PFAS-impacted liquids. Performance metrics will be quantified, including destruction, energy use, throughput, and cost. The proposed efforts seek to demonstrate: (i) high PFAS destruction efficacy on two USAF problem sets representative of a broader nationwide challenge, (ii) the ability to meet emerging regulations for PFAS treatment and discharge, (iii) the HALT technology can be easily mobilized to DoD installations for on-site treatment of PFAS-rich wastes, and (iv) quantification of system scale-up and operational costs.