Lower PFAS numbers were not enough
Aquagga is helping redefine how PFAS contamination is solved by developing destruction technologies capable of handling some of the industry’s most difficult waste streams. From highly concentrated industrial wastewater to ultrashort-chain PFAS compounds like trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), Aquagga’s hydrothermal alkaline treatment (HALT) systems are designed to perform across complex chemistries and operational variability found in real-world applications.
As Aquagga advanced from bench-scale testing into customer site demonstrations, pilot programs and validation projects, they needed to prove PFAS destruction with data their customers could trust.
Aquagga engaged Onterris to help answer, “did we destroy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) or did we only reduce the PFAS numbers on a standard test list?”
Across multiple projects, the teams aligned early on what the data needed to show and how they could best validate complete destruction. They then tailored the analytical approach, reporting limits and sample handling to each matrix.
When reporting limits drive the decision
One of the clearest examples came from a pharmaceutical waste stream dominated by trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), an ultrashort-chain PFAS that behaves differently than the compounds most operators track under standard methods. Aquagga needed results that were defensible at a decision threshold established by the end user, not a directional indication that concentrations declined.
Early results showed strong destruction, but the reporting limits did not land low enough for what the end user required. Rather than treating that as a lab problem or blaming the customer’s matrix, the teams aligned on how to adjust the analytical approach, including the dilution strategy, to meet site-specific reporting requirements.
The refined approach produced defensible results below the required reporting limits and validated a >5-log (99.999%) reduction in TFA. Aquagga then validated that this reduction was due to complete TFA mineralization by quantifying inorganic fluoride generation in the complex sample matrix. Together, the results showed 106%–117% fluorine mass balance closure for all HALT conditions, meaning the measurements directly aligned within normal analytical variability and supported the proposed destruction pathway.
Across standard targets, TFA and non-target PFAS, we need data we can stand behind. Onterris stayed proactive, adapted the method to the matrix and helped us validate what’s happening in the reactor with confidence.
Field conditions where reliable data is hard to earn
Bench testing is valuable, but Aquagga also needed data to provide confidence in its process under a variety of field conditions. At an active DoW site demonstration, the team operated HALT in a closed-loop configuration combining foam fractionation with Aquagga’s Steed Series destruction unit. This treatment train set out to destroy PFAS in an AFFF-impacted retention pond with a level of complexity that can break traditional sampling and analytical plans.
Onterris supported the demonstration with a coordinated analytical package, including U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Method 1633 for target PFAS, total oxidizable precursor (TOP) assay and inorganic fluoride quantitation. By providing multiple lines of evidence, Aquagga was able to quantify performance, evaluate precursor contribution and track fluorine conversion across a multi-step process train. Even in this complex matrix, the approach produced defensible results at customer decision-making thresholds, including a final PFOA concentration below 4 ng/L at the end of the process.
A replicable validation model that Aquagga can scale
Across these projects, the value Onterris brought to Aquagga was not simply providing a lab report. Rather, Onterris provided a replicable validation model to demonstrate treatment performance using relevant, customer-ready evidence. This includes aligning early on the decisions the data needed to inform, selecting appropriate matrix-specific methods, setting reporting limits that aligned with customer thresholds and confirming results with multiple lines of evidence.
For Aquagga customers, analytical data packages support procurement decisions, internal technical reviews and regulator-facing conversations with results that hold up under scrutiny. For difficult matrices, emerging analytes and results beyond a standard target list, the analytical package provides defensible evidence that the technology is performing as intended and provides insights into the extent and mechanism by which PFAS is being destroyed.
That same approach now extends into new applications as TFA and other fluorinated compounds outside the 1633 target list (e.g., total organofluorines) become a larger focus in customer conversations. Each project adds another reference point that helps move pilot outcomes toward informed go-forward decisions backed by review-ready evidence.
With multiple successful projects completed, Aquagga has established a consistent validation framework built around transparent method selection, fit-for-purpose analytical design and reliable performance across complex matrices.