Pull to refresh
Logo
What Changed
Following Why Sign Up
Claros and Daikin sign deal for first full-scale commercial PFAS destruction system

Claros and Daikin sign deal for first full-scale commercial PFAS destruction system

New Capabilities

UV-photochemical reactor will destroy forever chemicals on-site at Daikin's Decatur, Alabama factory

October 1st, 2026: Claros and Daikin sign full-scale commercial agreement

Overview

Updated Oct 20

Claros Technologies will build its ClarosTechUV system into Daikin America's factory in Decatur, Alabama, after a December 2025 run that treated more than 170,000 gallons of process water and destroyed over 99.99% of target PFAS. The companies announced the full-scale commercial agreement on Oct. 1, 2026. The equipment will be folded into broader facility upgrades at the Decatur campus over the next few years.

Claros says the reactor also breaks down trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), an ultra-short-chain PFAS that carbon filters and oxidation treatments leave behind, because its UV chemistry works by reduction rather than oxidation. In September 2026 the company finished a two-week pilot at Bachem's peptide plant in Bubendorf, Switzerland, where it met or exceeded the drugmaker's TFA targets. Claros says it has now treated more than one million gallons of PFAS-laden water across lab, pilot and commercial work.

Why it matters

If this installation performs as tested, manufacturers no longer must send PFAS-laden waste to landfills and incinerators — they can destroy the molecules where they are made.

Questions about this story

Free account needed to ask — your question is kept and asked for you right after sign-up. Answers are public.

No questions yet — be the first to ask.

Key Indicators

99.99%
PFAS destruction efficiency in Dec 2025 test run
Destruction of all targeted long, short, and ultra-short chain PFAS species.
170,000 gallons
Process water treated in commercial optimization run
About 640,000 liters treated in single-pass, continuous operation at Daikin's Decatur campus in December 2025.
1 million+ gallons
PFAS-impacted water treated by Claros to date
Cumulative volume across laboratory, pilot and commercial deployments, including contaminated groundwater.
>99%
TFA destruction in field and lab trials
Results reported across recirculating-flow, single-pass and batch modes, with up to 99.999% in batch testing.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Sign up to generate historical perspectives on this story.

Log in Sign Up

Organizations Involved

Claros Technologies
Claros Technologies
Private technology company
Installing its first full-scale ClarosTechUV system at Daikin's Decatur plant; completed a TFA pilot at Bachem in Switzerland in September 2026

A Minneapolis-based firm selling ultraviolet-photochemical reactors that permanently destroy PFAS molecules.
Daikin America
Daikin America
Chemical manufacturer
Host site for the first full-scale ClarosTechUV industrial installation

A manufacturer of advanced fluorinated materials for semiconductor, medical, aerospace, and clean energy applications.

Timeline

2025 October 2026

4 events Latest: October 1st, 2026 · 1 month ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Claros and Daikin sign full-scale commercial agreement

    Latest Agreement

    Long-term deal integrates ClarosTechUV directly into Daikin's Decatur operations, with continuous monitoring via ClarosLabs.

  2. Claros completes TFA pilot at Bachem's Swiss plant

    Milestone

    More than two weeks of testing under full manufacturing conditions at Bachem's Bubendorf campus; Claros said the system met or exceeded the company's TFA performance targets.

  3. Commercial optimization run hits 99.99% destruction

    Milestone

    ClarosTechUV treated more than 170,000 gallons of process water in single-pass, continuous operation at Daikin's Decatur site and destroyed over 99.99% of target PFAS, the company said.

  4. Claros and Daikin complete initial pilot

    Milestone

    Pilot demonstration of ClarosTechUV at the Decatur campus demonstrated the technology could treat industrial process water on-site.

Scenarios

1

Decatur installation goes live and meets destruction targets

Likely Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Claros and Daikin, which both stated the system would be integrated into facility improvements over the next few years

Engineering specifications progress through design and construction, and the ClarosTechUV reactor begins continuous operation inside Daikin's manufacturing process. ClarosLabs continuous testing verifies on-going destruction of long, short, and ultra-short chain PFAS at full industrial flow.

2

Claros expands across Daikin's global operations

Possible Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: The commercial agreement itself, which creates a long-term strategic relationship and opportunities for additional applications across Daikin's worldwide facilities

A successful Decatur installation becomes the blueprint. Claros and Daikin evaluate the ClarosTechUV platform at other Daikin sites, and the Decatur project serves as a reference for the first repeatable commercial PFAS destruction deployment at an operating plant.

3

Decatur deployment stalls on cost or regulatory delays

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Analysts at Environment+Energy Leader, who noted the companies are working on engineering specifications with a focus on scalability and integration

Integration into a live manufacturing line proves more complex or costlier than the pilot suggested, or shifting PFAS regulations change what the installation must achieve. Deployment is delayed, reduced in scope, or paused while the companies reassess.

4

Bachem turns its Bubendorf pilot into a commercial Claros system

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Claros, which said the pilot data would inform commercial system design

Claros ran ClarosTechUV for more than two weeks at Bachem's peptide and oligonucleotide plant in Switzerland and said it met or exceeded the company's TFA targets. A permanent unit there would give Claros a second commercial site outside the United States and a foothold in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

April 2024

EPA sets first PFAS drinking water limits (2024)

The Environmental Protection Agency finalized the first national drinking water standards for six PFAS compounds, forcing thousands of water utilities to detect and remove them from tap water. Utilities that had used granular activated carbon or ion exchange found those methods concentrate contaminants into media that still must go somewhere.

Then

Utilities and industrial dischargers scrambled to identify treatment technologies that meet the new limits, spurring a wave of pilot projects.

Now

The rule created a compliance market for PFAS destruction rather than mere capture, giving technologies like ClarosTechUV a commercial path.

Why this matters now

The same regulatory pressure that pushed water utilities is now reaching industrial manufacturers, who generate PFAS-laden process water at the source — exactly where Claros and Daikin are deploying destruction.

2022-2023

3M exits PFAS manufacturing and settles cleanup costs (2023)

3M announced it would stop making PFAS by the end of 2025, after decades as one of the largest producers. In June 2023 it agreed to pay up to $12.5 billion to settle claims from public water systems, following similar payouts driven by firefighting-foam and contamination lawsuits against multiple manufacturers.

Then

The settlements made the long-term cleanup bill for PFAS concrete and enormous, signaling to every producer that downstream liability is real and growing.

Now

Manufacturers began seeking ways to destroy PFAS at the point of generation to reduce their own liability and regulatory exposure.

Why this matters now

Daikin, a producer of fluorinated materials, faces the same structural pressure 3M did — which is exactly why it is paying to install permanent destruction on-site rather than shipping waste off-site.

Sources

(10)
+4
PR Newswire Claros Technologies Environment+Energy Leader Daikin America Refindustry Maritime Global Network TipRanks Innovation News Network La Razón Move the Needle