Heritage-Crystal Clean, Inc. and Battelle to Collaborate on PFAS Destruction for Wastewater

ELGIN, Ill. & COLUMBUS, Ohio --Heritage-Crystal Clean, Inc. (NASDAQ: HCCI) and Battelle will join forces to tackle one of today’s most formidable environmental challenges—the removal and destruction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from wastewater.

Battelle has chosen Heritage-Crystal Clean, Inc. (Crystal Clean) as its partner to use, market and service Battelle’s PFAS destruction technology for commercial applications. Crystal Clean will use these key technologies in its own wastewater treatment plants and at third party landfills, wastewater treatment plants, and other commercial applications. Crystal Clean also will work collaboratively with Battelle for use of the technology at other sites and for other applications.

Battelle’s PFAS Annihilator™ uses supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) to destroy PFAS in industrial wastewater, landfill leachate and other contaminated water. This is a market-leading solution for PFAS removal and destruction at waste processing facilities.

“PFAS properties are unique—they are oil and water repellent, temperature resistant, and friction reducing—making them extremely difficult to remove,” said Battelle PFAS Program Director Amy Dindal. “Unlike other treatment methods that can relocate the PFAS, like incineration or filtering, Battelle's Annihilator™ breaks the carbon-fluorine bond and destroys PFAS.”

For Crystal Clean CEO Brian Recatto, the necessity to add PFAS destruction capabilities for his company came from his customers. “We are taking calls all the time asking if we can help to get rid of PFAS,” he said. “We are a leader in wastewater treatment, and we need to implement fast, large-scale solutions so we can address this critical issue to prevent harm to human health or the environment. We look forward to working closely with Battelle experts to market and implement this game changing technology.”

The implementation of this PFAS destruction solution is timely given the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s intention defined by its PFAS strategic roadmap to undertake rulemaking to restrict PFAS discharges from industrial sources.

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