Nyex Florenox™: A breakthrough in PFAS destruction.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called ‘forever chemicals’, are a broad family of more than 14,000 synthetic compounds valued for their resistance to heat, water, and oil. They are widely used in products ranging from non-stick cookware and waterproof textiles to firefighting foams essential in aviation safety. Yet their chemical stability, which was once an asset, now underpins a legacy of persistent environmental contamination and human exposure with potential health effects including carcinogenicity, immune disruption, and reproductive harm.
PFAS molecules are characterised by extremely strong carbon-fluorine bonds, among the strongest in organic chemistry, which render them extraordinarily resistant to natural degradation processes. This persistence means PFAS accumulate in soil, groundwater, surface water, and even in animal and human tissue. Remediating contaminated effluents from municipal wastewater to industrial wastewater and landfill leachate is therefore technologically challenging and economically consequential.
This article evaluates current treatment and destruction technologies, the range of effluent management strategies, risks and regulatory pressures, and the economic opportunities tied to addressing PFAS contamination, including enabling land redevelopment for airports, housing, and other infrastructure.
The scope of the PFAS problem
PFAS contamination is now recognised globally as a pervasive environmental and public health issue. These chemicals resist breakdown, leading to their bioaccumulation in ecosystems and human bodies. Regulatory bodies across the EU and the US are tightening PFAS limits in drinking water and discharge effluent, spurring demand for more effective treatment technologies.
The sheer diversity of PFAS, with both long-chain and short-chain varieties and differing chemical behaviour, complicates remediation. Long-chain PFAS (e.g., PFOA, PFOS) are more readily adsorbed, while short-chain PFAS tend to evade conventional treatment and may require more advanced approaches.
Environmental advocates have noted that even treated sewage effluent currently used to restore wetlands can contain persistent PFAS, undermining ecosystem and human health objectives.
PFAS treatment vs destruction: Fundamental distinction
A critical distinction in PFAS remediation is between removal and destruction:
Removal technologies extract PFAS from effluent or the environment, often through separation techniques (e.g., a resin media or membrane concentrate), but do not destroy the compounds.
Destruction technologies break the carbon-fluorine bonds to permanently eliminate PFAS molecules; ideally to innocuous end products such as carbon dioxide and inorganic fluoride salts.
Most established methods today are removal technologies that generate a PFAS-rich secondary waste, which must then be handled, disposed of, or destroyed. Effective strategies will often combine both approaches.
Introducing Nyex Florenox™: A breakthrough in PFAS destruction
Arvia Water Technologies has pioneered the development of Nyex.3, an advanced inert electrode material designed to tackle the PFAS challenge head-on. This innovative material promotes the formation of highly reactive hydroxyl radicals, which can break the strong carbon-fluorine (C-F) bonds found in PFAS chemicals. Notably, Nyex. 3 is fluoride-tolerant, ensuring its durability and effectiveness in PFAS degradation processes.
Florenox, Arvia’s next-generation electrochemical oxidation (EO) reactors, have been successfully tested with Nyex.3. These reactors operate under ambient temperatures and pressure, making them energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. The EO process is crucially dependent on the mass transfer of PFAS to the electrode surface, which is enhanced by higher PFAS concentrations and larger electrode surface areas. The Florenox design maximises electrode surface area, making it particularly effective for treating parts per million (ppm) levels of PFAS. This attribute positions Nyex Florenox as an ideal partner for concentration technologies.
Proven success in diverse applications
PFAS contamination can be found in various water sources, and Arvia’s Nyex Florenox technology has been effective in treating:
Landfill leachate, which combines PFAS with organic matter and metals, complicates treatment.
Industrial wastewater discharged from industrial facilities, often containing high PFAS loads and complex chemistries.
Groundwater – Underground water sources that can become contaminated through industrial activities.
Surface water – Rivers, lakes, and reservoirs that are exposed to PFAS pollution from runoff, wastewater discharge, and atmospheric deposition.
Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) suppression system changeouts, fire extinguisher recycling, and end-of-life-disposals.
A range of concentration technologies
PFAS effluent streams vary widely in concentration, composition, and co-contaminant load. The Nyex Florenox system has been adaptable to different concentration techniques:
Foam fractionation: A process used to separate and concentrate hydrophobic compounds like PFAS from water.
Membrane technologies: Methods that use selective barriers to separate contaminants from water.
Adsorbent resins: Materials that capture and hold onto PFAS molecules, which can then be treated using the Florenox system.
Regulatory and risk landscape
Regulators are tightening PFAS discharge limits and, in some jurisdictions, considering broad bans on the manufacture and use of PFAS owing to their risks and long-term environmental costs. In the EU, a potential comprehensive PFAS ban has been projected to reduce health and environmental costs by €110bn by 2050¹, though industry concerns around economic disruption persist.
The trend toward stricter regulation increases demand for both removal and destruction technologies, but also imposes compliance costs on utilities and industries. Legacy contamination, where PFAS are already present in groundwater or soil, further complicates permitting for new developments.
Threats to public health, ecosystems, and development
Persistent PFAS contamination carries multiple threats:
Human health risks through exposure to drinking water and food chains.
Ecosystem harm as PFAS bioaccumulate in wildlife and disrupt reproductive and developmental processes.
Economic drag: contaminated land (brownfields) often cannot be redeveloped until PFAS risks are addressed.
As an example, sites intended for airport expansion, which often contend with PFAS from historical firefighting training areas, can be constrained by contamination, delaying investment and infrastructure growth until effective remediation is implemented.
Similarly, housing developments on former industrial sites or near airports and highways may be stalled by PFAS-contaminated groundwater, imposing remediation obligations before land can be used safely.
Economic opportunities and growth from PFAS remediation
While PFAS contamination poses economic challenges, addressing these challenges also creates significant economic opportunities.
The PFAS treatment and destruction market is expanding rapidly. Investment groups estimate global PFAS remediation markets could grow from $1.4bn today towards $2.65bn or more by 2030², driven by regulation, litigation pressure, and infrastructure demand.
Redevelopment and land value uptick
Successfully remediating PFAS contamination can unlock capped land values. Brownfield sites with PFAS issues, such as old manufacturing facilities or firefighting training grounds, often sit idle due to cleanup uncertainty.
Remediation helps enable:
• Airport expansions, where PFAS contamination from historical firefighting foam use can affect groundwater quality.
Housing projects, which require clean groundwater and soil to meet safety standards.
Industrial parks and commercial real estate developments where liability uncertainties would otherwise dampen investor interest.
These activities generate jobs in construction, engineering, and environmental services, stimulate local tax revenues, and catalyse broader economic development.
Case studies and use cases
Arvia has been testing its proprietary electrode against a wide range of real-world PFAS-containing effluents including groundwater, landfill leachate, industrial wastewaters, product streams, regeneration solutions, and concentrated effluents from technologies such as foam fractionation, membranes, and adsorbent resins.
Arvia’s work has demonstrated that it can successfully treat both long- and short-chain PFAS, even in highly challenging backgrounds, and has treated PFAS at concentrations up to 270 ppm.
As a destruction technology, Arvia’s role is to work alongside separation technologies and, to an extent, be guided by their progress, as well as direct collaboration with industrial companies.
Airports and fire training sites
Airport fire training sites are notorious PFAS hotspots due to repeated use of fluorinated foam. Integrated remediation, combining capture with destruction, can remediate impacted soils and groundwater, enabling infrastructure projects to proceed without long-term environmental liabilities.
Arvia partnered with an OEM providing foam fractionation equipment. Foam fractionation removed PFAS from water by using air bubbles to selectively adsorb PFAS at the air–water interface, forming a PFAS-rich foam that was collected and concentrated for further treatment.
The Nyex Florenox technology was then deployed to destroy PFAS, which demonstrated that the technologies are compatible.
Landfill leachate
Landfill operators are increasingly dealing with the legacy issue of PFAS-containing wastes that were historically accepted before the environmental persistence of these compounds was fully understood. PFAS can leach from disposed materials over prolonged periods, leading to contamination of landfill leachate. As regulatory scrutiny increases and discharge limits tighten, operators are under pressure to implement treatment solutions capable of reducing PFAS concentrations prior to discharge or off-site treatment. The client, therefore, wished to evaluate a treatment approach combining membrane concentration with Florenox for destruction.
Fire extinguisher disposal
A fire extinguisher company that provides disposal services for end-of-life extinguishers sought to explore alternative treatment routes. Conventional waste management incineration processes are not always suitable for PFAS-containing materials due to operating temperature ranges and associated destruction uncertainties, and some operators are therefore restricting the volumes accepted. The extinguishers were discharged into IBCs, and the resulting liquid was processed directly in the Florenox system. No pre-treatment was required due to the relatively high TOC and PFAS concentrations in the waste stream.
Conclusion
PFAS contamination represents one of the most complex environmental remediation challenges of the 21st century. Their persistence, diversity, and health implications have driven demand for both removal and destruction technologies. Mature approaches (GAC, IX, RO) remain valuable for capture across diverse effluent types, while the application of PFAS destruction technologies like Arvia’s Florenox technology is vital in addressing the environmental and health challenges posed by these persistent chemicals. Its proven success across diverse applications and technologies makes it a valuable solution that is closing the gap between containment and permanent elimination.
Addressing PFAS not only mitigates environmental and public health threats but also unlocks economic growth from land redevelopment and infrastructure expansion to new markets in clean technology. Strategic investment in integrated PFAS remediation systems can transform ‘forever chemicals’ from a diffuse liability into a driver of technological and economic progress.
References
European Commission, 29th January 2026, “New study confirms huge and growing costs of PFAS pollution” (Online) Accessed 03/03/2026)
Jacques, C., “Cleantech Group reveals $1.4B PFAS treatment market projected to reach $2.65B by 2030” (Online) Cleantech Group, 1st May 2025, PFAS Destruction Technologies See Surge in Innovation and Investment | Cleantech Group (Accessed 04/03/2026)
Please Note: This is a Commercial Profile
This article will feature in our upcoming April PFAS Special Focus Publication.
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