EPA Names SCWO as Key Destruction Technology in Draft Risk Assessment for PFAS in Sludge

Municipal, Federal and Industrial Backlog and Pipeline of $1.8 Billion for Organic Waste Destruction Technology to Drive Growth in 2025

DURHAM, NC / ACCESS Newswire / January 21, 2025 / 374Water Inc. (NASDAQ:SCWO) ("374Water") (the "Company"), a global leader in organic waste destruction technology for the municipal, federal, and industrial markets, today provided a business update following the release of a draft risk assessment by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The draft risk assessment is a scientific evaluation of the potential human health risks associated with the presence of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals in biosolids, also known as sewage sludge. The assessment highlights the possible risk for people posed by land-applied sludge contaminated with PFOA/PFOS.

"374Water is strongly positioned to capitalize on increased demand for PFAS destruction, due in part to the EPA's draft risk assessment," said Chris Gannon, CEO of 374Water. "We believe our AirSCWO solution is the only commercial-scale, continuous flow solution available on the market that can readily address the risks posed by PFAS as outlined in the assessment. We look forward to securing new business with customers at the municipal, federal, and industrial levels, leveraging our technology to eliminate these critical contaminants."

The EPA states that "Traditional wastewater treatment technology does not remove or destroy PFOA or PFOS, and these chemicals typically accumulate in the sewage sludge." Common sources of these chemicals include industrial products such as firefighting foam, leachates, and manufacturing wastes, as well as commercial and household sources such as car washes, waterproofing sprays, washing clothes, and other common products. Treatment facilities then receive this contaminated wastewater. Groundwater and drinking water are then contaminated when sludge from treatment facilities is disposed of on agricultural lands, a practice known as land applying.

The EPA suggests that sludge containing as low as 1 part per billion (ppb) of PFAS when land applied, may pose "human health risks exceeding the EPA's acceptable thresholds." While this draft document does not compel action, it recommends monitoring and careful consideration of alternative management techniques and innovative technologies. The EPA names SCWO as a specific "emerging PFAS destruction technology."

"While strong demand already exists in the municipal market, this draft assessment and the continued scrutiny by the EPA provide additional market tailwinds for 374Water's destruction technology," said Sunny Viswanathan, VP Municipal Sales at 374Water. "AirSCWO provides the solution to the PFAS problem."

This Assessment will inform the EPA's regulatory landscape under the Clean Water Act, with the goal of reducing risks to humans that occur through the management and disposal of sludge from water treatment plants and other sources.

374Water's proprietary AirSCWO technology provides a compelling solution that can transform residuals into distilled water, minerals, and recoverable heat while destroying contaminants of concern like PFAS. Additionally, SCWO can be operated autothermally, requires a small footprint, and can be easily integrated into existing treatment plant infrastructure. For industrial waste management, on-site installation of AirSCWO reduces hauling costs and reliance on contracts, giving manufacturers ownership and flexibility to their waste disposal practice.

374Water is developing AirSCWO Systems to meet the various destruction capacity needs of the Municipal, Federal and Industrial markets. The Company is currently focused on developing and eventually commercializing its various sizes of commercial systems, which range from 1 metric ton/day (0.25 to 0.5 MGD WW facility) up to 100 metric ton/day (20 to 40 MGD WW facility).

About 374Water

374Water Inc. (NASDAQ:SCWO) is a global cleantech company providing innovative solutions addressing wastewater treatment and waste management issues within the municipal, federal and industrial markets. 374Water's AirSCWO technology is designed to efficiently destroy and mineralize a broad spectrum of organic non-hazardous and hazardous organic wastes producing safe dischargeable water streams, safe mineral effluent, safe vent gas, and recoverable heat energy. 374Water's AirSCWO technology has the potential to assist its customers to meet discharge requirements, reduce or eliminate disposal costs, remove bottlenecks, and reduce litigation and other risks. 374Water continues to be a leader in innovative waste treatment solutions, dedicated to creating a greener future and eradicating harmful pollutants. Learn more by visiting www.374water.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Cautionary Language on Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this communication are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance, including statements relating to the benefits of our recent financing, our ability to execute on our strategic plan, our positioning in the market, our ability to process a range of waste and contaminants at scale, the timing and success of our DaaS offering, the timing of the deployment of our AirSCWO system in Orange County, our ability to execute on our backlog and pipeline, and our future prospects and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or our achievements or those of our industry to be materially different from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words like "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "believe," "estimate," "project," "consider," "predict," "potential," "feel," or other comparable terminology. The Company has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations, assumptions, estimates, beliefs, and projections. While the Company believes these expectations, assumptions, estimates, and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond the Company's control. These and other important factors, including those discussed under "Risk Factors" in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, as well as the Company's subsequent filings with the SEC, may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements herein are made only as of the date they were first issued, and unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Investor Relations and Media Contact

Chris Tyson
Executive Vice President
MZ North America
Direct: 949-491-8235
[email protected]
www.mzgroup.us

SOURCE: 374Water Inc.

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