Forever chemicals in North Carolina’s water systems could be filtered out before human consumption using innovative technology introduced to legislators in the General Assembly last week.
A North Carolina-based company shared a groundbreaking solution to tackle the persistent issue of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in drinking water. While invisible to the eye, PFAS are often referred to as “forever chemicals” for their extremely strong hydrogen carbon-fluorine bonds that are almost impossible to break.
Though PFAS were developed in the 1950s for their convenient, non-stick, waterproof, stain-resistant compounds, they also have been proven harmful to humans, with impacts ranging from liver damage and increased risk of thyroid disease to cancer and a decrease in fertility.
Based in Burlington, North Carolina, Invicta Water’s new technology eliminates PFAS entirely, offering a significant leap in water purification technology. During the House Regulatory Reform Committee meeting last week, Steve Wilcenski, founder and CEO of Invicta Water, introduced the new technology that’s being implemented in cities across the Carolinas.
“What we’re doing at Invicta Water is, we are using existing technology in an innovative way, combined with advanced material science to solve one of the biggest health challenges that’s in front of us today, and that is clean water,” Wilcenski said during the presentation. “And our initial focus is on PFAS… The health effects are pretty staggering. The small amounts that bioaccumulate in our bodies over time that cause these health effects is also pretty remarkable when you think about it.”
One of the main challenges with PFAS has been no effective way to permanently eliminate them. However, Wilcenski explained that his company, which was rebranded from VIA Nano, has since developed a unique process that separates PFAS from water and completely destroys them.
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“What we do is fundamentally different than anything else out there. We thought about the problem differently,” said Wilcenski. “What we do is we have one box, and that one box removes the PFAS from water, separates it, lets the clean water be discharged out, and then we destroy the PFAS completely. There are literally no toxins or anything left behind. We break the bonds of the molecules all the way down to their elemental forms into completely non-toxic and harmless components, and this is all done at atmospheric pressure and temperature. And what that means is it’s cheap. It doesn’t cost a lot of money.”
Unlike other methods that simply remove PFAS and dispose of them, potentially reintroducing them to the environment, Invicta Water’s solution fully breaks down the chemical bonds of PFAS into non-toxic elements.
North Carolina has become a testing ground for the technology, with successful pilot projects in Pittsboro, Raleigh, and Wake Forest, in addition to ongoing projects in Burlington, Cary, and other areas in the southeast.
Meanwhile, the North Carolina Collaboratory presented updates on PFAS research across the state. With nearly a dozen universities conducting research, the state has been at the forefront of tackling PFAS contamination and ensuring that new technologies like those of Invicta Water are implemented.
“North Carolina is absolutely leading the way in PFAS research and development,” said Jeffrey Warren, the Executive Director of the Collaboratory. “We’ve got 10 campuses currently in our PFAs testing network. It has made the state probably one of the richest data sets in the United States, if not the world, on PFAS data, not only concentrations in the water but the soil and the air.”
As the battle against PFAS continues, North Carolina’s collaborative approach between the public and private sectors is seen as a model for other states. Although lawmakers have been briefed on Invicta Water’s initiatives, it is still uncertain whether they will take legislative steps this session.
Meanwhile, a final rule from the US Environmental Protection Agency took effect in January that banned a toxic chemical found in Camp Lejeune’s drinking water, placing a focus on carcinogenic contaminants that are harmful to human health.