St. Cloud to Host Pilot Study Aimed at Destroying ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Wastewater

(KNSI) – A piece of specialized equipment is coming to St. Cloud’s wastewater facility this spring as part of a pilot study to test a new method of eliminating PFAS, a group of synthetic chemicals commonly known as “forever chemicals.”

The equipment is called the mobile AirSCWO system, built by 374Water Inc., a company based in Morrisville, North Carolina. SCWO stands for Supercritical Water Oxidation. Barr Engineering, which works closely with the city, partnered with 374Water after receiving a grant to study methods of destroying PFAS, and selected St. Cloud’s Nutrient Energy Water Recovery Facility as the first deployment site for the mobile unit.

St. Cloud’s Public Services Director Luke Langner explained the basic science behind the process to KNSI News. “This essentially is put under pressure and high heat and will break down the bonds which create PFAS and essentially destruct them.”

According to the company, the technology has demonstrated greater than 99.95% PFAS destruction, meaning nearly complete elimination of the compounds rather than simply filtering or relocating them.

Langner was quick to note that St. Cloud does not have a PFAS problem. Despite having no urgent PFAS threat, Langner said the city sees value in being part of the solution on a statewide and national level. “We just want to be on the leading edge to address PFAS as it is a danger to our environment. And it’s in everything that we use, cosmetics, cookware, clothing, food packaging, it’s in everything, and so essentially just trying to minimize the impacts on the environment and seeing what the city of St. Cloud can do.”

The pilot will process several types of material, including undigested biosolids, post-thermal hydrolysis digested biosolids, and spent granular activated carbon, providing a comprehensive look at how well the technology performs across different waste types.

The study is designed to determine whether the technology can realistically scale up for use at large public or private facilities.

The mobile unit is expected to arrive at St. Cloud’s facility in April.

The project marks the first-ever deployment of 374Water’s new mobile system, which the company designed to reach sites where permanent infrastructure isn’t practical.

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