Solving the PFAS puzzle
Solving the PFAS Puzzle with the ARID Process™
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are among the most complex environmental contaminants of our time. Their extreme chemical stability, widespread use, and persistence in water systems have earned them the name ‘forever chemicals’. For communities and industries alike, PFAS contamination presents a pressing challenge, one that cannot be solved by removal alone.
At CoreWater Technologies, we believe remediation should mean elimination, not relocation. That belief is what led to the development of the ARID Process™, a next generation approach to PFAS treatment that destroys forever chemicals, forever.
Limits of Traditional PFAS Treatment
For decades, PFAS treatment has relied primarily on adsorption technologies such as granular activated carbon (GAC), ion exchange resins, and membranes. While effective at removing PFAS from water, these methods concentrate contaminants into solid or liquid waste streams that must ultimately be disposed of or treated elsewhere.
This ‘capture and transfer’ paradigm comes with significant drawbacks:
Long-term liability associated with landfill disposal or off-site treatment,
High transportation and handling costs,
Increased carbon footprint from hauling concentrated PFAS waste, and
Limited flexibility as regulations tighten and destruction requirements increase.
Without a viable pathway to destruction, PFAS are effectively removed from one place only to persist in another.
The ARID Process™
The ARID Process™ was designed to fundamentally change how PFAS remediation is approached. Rather than separating capture and destruction, ARID (Adsorb, Regenerate, Isolate & Destroy) creates a closed-loop treatment framework that integrates PFAS concentration, regeneration and destruction.
Adsorb
The process begins with Core+™ composite particles, CoreWater’s patented PFAS adsorption media. Core+ consists of chemically treated GAC engineered to improve PFAS uptake while enabling repeated regeneration.
These particles are designed to efficiently adsorb a broad range of PFAS compounds, operate within existing water treatment infrastructure and be regenerated in-situ, minimizing disruption and waste.
Regenerate
Unlike conventional GAC systems that require disposal once saturated, Core+™ particles are regenerable. The regeneration releases PFAS from Core+ into a rinsate stream, allowing the media to be reused. The regeneration step extends media life, reduces solid waste generation, and results in an overall lower operational cost. Rather than discarding PFAS-laden media, ARID restores adsorption capacity while sending isolated PFAS into a controlled liquid phase.
Isolate
The isolation and concentration steps produce a highly concentrated PFAS stream, effectively isolating PFAS from the original water matrix. This step is critical as it dramatically reduces the volume requiring destruction and enables precise control over destruction conditions, thereby improving the efficiency and economics of downstream treatment.
Destroy
Once isolated, PFAS are destroyed using any of several compatible PFAS destruction technologies selected based on waste chemistry, site conditions, and regulatory requirements. The ARID Process™ is intentionally technology-agnostic and integrates seamlessly with multiple destruction pathways, such as:
Electrochemical Oxidation (EOC)
Hydrothermal Alkaline Treatment (HALT)
UV Photochemical and Photocatalytic Treatment
Supercritical Water Oxidation (SCWO)
This flexibility ensures that ARID remains adaptable as destruction technologies continue to advance, without requiring changes to capture or regeneration system.
Why ARID Process™?
On-site & Scalable
ARID is designed with municipal and industrial deployment in mind. By enabling on-site treatment and destruction, the process reduces time lost to bed-exchange downtime and the need for off-site hazardous substance transport, lowering handling and disposal risks. On-site remediation provides greater operational control and faster response to contamination.
2. Climate-conscious by design
PFAS remediation should not introduce new environmental burdens. With ARID, climate impact is minimized by reducing landfill dependency, limiting transportation emissions and supporting destruction pathways that generate no harmful byproducts. By closing the loop on PFAS treatment, ARID aligns remediation with broader sustainability and decarbonization goals.
3. Circular
With a lifecycle-based approach to PFAS management, regenerable Core+™ media enables reuse of treatment materials, reduction of secondary waste and long-term cost and liability reduction. The circular framework transforms PFAS remediation from a disposal problem into a sustainable treatment solution.
Moving beyond ‘Remove & Replace’
PFAS contamination is one of the most pressing environmental challenges facing water systems today. Solving it requires more than incremental improvements, it demands a shift in mindset,
With the ARID Process™, CoreWater Technologies is helping move the industry beyond removal and toward permanent elimination. By integrating adsorption, regeneration, isolation, and destruction into a single, adaptable framework, ARID provides a practical pathway for treating PFAS responsibly, and at scale.
We are not just removing PFAS from water.
We are removing forever chemicals forever.