BioLargo Inc said it will receive and treat contaminated water from a major municipality in Southern California and a federal government agency.
The company’s Aqueous Electrostatic Concentrator (AEC) is a proprietary water treatment technology specifically designed to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of man-made ‘forever’ chemicals.
The receipt of the treatment water from two potential clients will allow BioLargo to implement its multi-phase commercial approach.
WATCH: BioLargo completes prototype for PFAS treatment system, ready for pilot testing
The phased approach will consist of three parts; phase I, the off-site treatment of client-supplied water, phase II, on-site pilot treatment at clients location and phase III a full-scale operation.
According to BioLargo, phase I will be a key step in evidencing the functionality and scalability of the AEC water treatment system.
As part of the first step, BioLargo will receive contaminated water from the client, evaluate it for operational optimization, treat the water removing the PFAS chemicals, and then have an independent laboratory analyze the treated water to confirm the PFAS has been removed to client specifications.
Described as a "proof of concept" phase, this initial stage will give the client confidence in moving to the next phase.
In the statement, BioLargo noted that assuming a successful first phase, these agencies have asked for proposals for on-site piloting to confirm treatment success at a larger scale at the client location. Once piloting is complete, BioLargo would offer customized commercial-scale systems to each client.
"By treating client water through our in-house AEC system, we can optimize it for the unique characteristics of the water from each source and confirm for the client that our system removes PFAS to the levels that meet their particular regulatory requirements," Randall Moore, President of BioLargo Engineering, Science & Technologies said in the statement.
Last week, the US House of Representatives passed the "PFAS Action Act of 2021", an initiative targeting the breakdown resistant contaminates.
Introduced by a bipartisan coalition in March 2021, the proposed legislation would establish a national drinking water standard for select PFAS chemicals under the Safe Drinking Water Act, designating them as hazardous chemicals.
The legislation will allow the EPA to clean up contaminated sites while creating stricter rules for handling the contaminates. It will also limit industrial discharges under the Clean Water Act, and provide $200 million annually to assist water utilities and treatment facilities to remove PFAS chemicals from their water.
The bill would also restrict incineration of PFAS-containing wastes under the Clean Air Act, which could significantly limit the use of the most common treatment strategy: carbon filtration followed by carbon incineration.
Tonya Chandler, Director of Strategic Marketing and Business Development at BioLargo, commented on the government mandate: "With the passing of the PFAS Action Act of 2021 by the House of Representatives, PFAS regulations are just around the corner.”
“BioLargo is in a perfect position to launch its revolutionary PFAS removal system into the market. The AEC produces significantly less waste than traditional systems, making it a superior solution in this regulatory environment."
The AEC technology has been proven to remove more than 99% of PFAS from contaminated water, and, compared with carbon filtration systems, generates about one-tenth the PFAS-laden waste and costs less to operate.
Contact the writer at georgia@proactiveinvestors.com
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