Solving PFAS contamination problems domestically and internationally, communicating from Shizuoka City to the world

A Holdings Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Fujiyoshida City, Yamanashi Prefecture, President and CEO: Hideaki Awai, hereinafter referred to as "the Company"), which aims for a zero environmental pollution society through next-generation water technology using subcritical water integrated system patent technology, has been working on a PFAS contamination removal demonstration experiment at Shizuoka City's "Miho Rainwater Pump Station" where high concentrations of PFAS were detected, together with Shizuoka City (Mayor: Takashi Namba). Based on the experimental results showing successful contamination removal of up to 88.7%, we are pleased to announce that the Company and Shizuoka City have signed a "Partnership Agreement for Promoting Efforts to Remove and Detoxify PFAS in the Environment and Implement the Subcritical Water Integrated System to Realize an Environmentally Advanced SDGs City" on Wednesday, August 21, 2024.

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Partnership for Solving PFAS Contamination Problems Domestically and Internationally (Photo: Business Wire)

Background of the agreement

• In Shizuoka City, high concentrations of PFAS exceeding the national provisional guideline values have continued to be detected in waterways and well water around the factories that are the cause in Shimizu Ward. PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," had penetrated underground and flowed into the Miho Rainwater Pump Station as rainwater, generating high-concentration water exceeding 10,000 tons per day during rainfall.
• Upon hearing that Shizuoka City had set up a countermeasure team within the city hall and was exploring ways to deal with this problem, the Company proposed a demonstration experiment for PFAS contamination removal using its subcritical water integrated system.
• After laboratory verification, we installed a pressurised floating separation device using our special technology at the Miho Rainwater Pump Station in July this year and began a demonstration experiment for PFAS contamination removal. As a result of about a month of demonstration experiments, we were able to successfully remove up to 88.7% of PFAS contamination (*as of August 6, 2024).
• Based on these results, Shizuoka City and the Company will continue the demonstration experiments aimed at reducing contamination below the national provisional guideline values. And we have reached the agreement with the aims of promoting research and social implementation of PFAS contamination removal technology using subcritical water integrated system, realizing Shizuoka City as an environmentally advanced SDGs city through business development based in Shizuoka City, and solving environmental problems worldwide using the subcritical water integrated system.

Future prospects

• The subcritical water integrated system is capable of not only separating and removing PFAS from contaminated water but also decomposing PFAS to harmless molecular levels. It can also be applied to the removal of radioactive substances such as tritium and the reduction of CO2 and dioxin emissions in industrial waste treatment.
• Our company will establish a new corporation, with Shizuoka City participating in it, to promote research and development for utilizing the functions of this subcritical water integrated system in multiple ways. The new corporation will contribute to creating a wide-area SDGs model city, starting with the realization of Shizuoka City as an SDGs advanced city, in collaboration with Yamanashi Prefecture and Shizuoka Prefecture.

Outline of Comprehensive Partnership Agreement

1: Technology research and social implementation of the subcritical water integrated system

• Continued demonstration experiments at Miho Rainwater Pump Station to remove contamination below national provisional guideline values
• Promotion of PFAS removal and detoxification in the environment through social implementation of the subcritical water integrated system

2: Realization of an environmentally advanced SDGs city through business development based in Shizuoka City

• Resource conversion of waste (compost, hydrogen, etc.) through application of subcritical water integrated system technology
• Dissemination of solutions to all environmental problems from Shizuoka City through business development

3: Establish a new corporation to contribute to solving environmental problems worldwide

• Removal of radioactive substances
• Reduction of CO2 and dioxin in industrial waste treatment
• Decomposition of removed PFAS to molecular level

About the subcritical water integrated system

The subcritical water integrated system is the Company's proprietary next-generation device that applies the existing subcritical water treatment technology developed and researched by Water ARIN Tech Inc. in our group. This system consists of three devices: the "Subcritical Water Treatment Device," the "Pressurised Floating Separation Device" that achieves PFAS removal, and various "Fermentation Devices." We are advancing research towards social implementation for removing PFAS and radioactive substances such as tritium from contaminated water and soil, as well as CO2 and dioxin-free industrial waste treatment.

Mechanism of PFAS removal by pressurised floating separation device

Explanatory video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PfLFVQJH0I

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240826057237/en/