General Atomics Demonstrates PFAS Destruction System for Minnesota Congresswoman, State and Local Officials | General Atomics


General Atomics Demonstrates Breakthrough Technology to Destroy "Forever Chemicals" in Minnesota

Revolutionary PERSES system offers hope for eliminating PFAS contamination at industrial scale

LAKE ELMO, MN - June 9, 2025 - In a significant step toward addressing one of America's most persistent environmental challenges, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) successfully demonstrated its PERSES™ waste destruction system's ability to completely eliminate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) during a live demonstration attended by Minnesota Congresswoman Betty McCollum and state and local officials on May 30.

The demonstration marks a potential turning point in the fight against PFAS, synthetic chemicals that have earned the nickname "forever chemicals" due to their persistence in the environment and human body. These substances, used in everything from non-stick cookware to firefighting foam, have contaminated water supplies across the United States and have been linked to serious health problems including cancer, liver damage, and immune system effects.

Breaking the "Forever" Bond

"This is an exciting day as we learn how to break down the toxic chemical bond of PFAS," said Congresswoman McCollum during the demonstration. "Through Department of Defense investment and private-sector innovation, General Atomics has achieved an extraordinary scientific breakthrough by completing a successful PFAS remediation in a controlled setting."

The PERSES system employs industrial Supercritical Water Oxidation (iSCWO) technology, which has been in commercial use for over a decade. This process can destroy PFAS and more than 200 types of hazardous and non-hazardous waste with 99.99% efficiency or greater. Unlike traditional treatment methods that often simply transfer PFAS from one medium to another, PERSES completely breaks down the molecular structure, leaving behind only water, salts, and carbon dioxide that can be safely released into the environment.

Industrial-Scale Solution

What sets this demonstration apart is its industrial-scale capability. The PERSES system can process a wide variety of PFAS-contaminated materials, including landfill leachate, biosolid sludge, contaminated soils and sediment, firefighting foam, and filter media from water treatment systems.

"PERSES is the most effective tool in the waste remediation toolkit that can help bring an end to the forever cycle of PFAS contamination," said Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS.

The four-week demonstration at the Lake Elmo facility is part of a larger research program funded by the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and managed by Bay West LLC, a St. Paul-based environmental consulting company. After completing the Minnesota demonstration, the PERSES system will move to additional test sites for further validation.

Addressing a National Crisis

PFAS contamination has become a nationwide crisis, with the Environmental Protection Agency estimating that these chemicals are present in the drinking water of millions of Americans. The Department of Defense alone faces cleanup costs in the billions of dollars at military installations where PFAS-containing firefighting foam was used for decades.

Traditional remediation approaches, such as activated carbon filtration or incineration, often fall short of completely destroying PFAS. Some methods simply concentrate the chemicals or transfer them to different environmental media, while high-temperature incineration can be energy-intensive and may not achieve complete destruction.

Looking Forward

While the successful demonstration represents a major breakthrough, Congresswoman McCollum emphasized that more work remains. "Now, we must focus on scaling this technology so that it can be a solution for communities and military installations at large to eliminate the threat of PFAS pollution," she said.

The collaboration between the Department of Defense, private industry, and environmental remediation companies demonstrates the multi-sector approach needed to address complex environmental challenges. As communities across the country grapple with PFAS contamination, technologies like PERSES may offer the first real hope for permanently eliminating these persistent pollutants from the environment.

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems continues to expand its portfolio of environmental solutions, with the PERSES technology representing a significant addition to the company's capabilities in hazardous waste remediation. The success of these demonstrations could pave the way for broader deployment of the technology at contaminated sites nationwide.

Sources

Primary Sources

  1. General Atomics Official Press Release - "General Atomics Demonstrates PFAS Destruction System for Minnesota Congresswoman, State and Local Officials"
    https://www.ga.com/ga-demonstrates-pfas-destruction-system-minnesota

  2. General Atomics PERSES System Information - Official product page
    https://www.ga.com/pfas-waste-destruction-systems

  3. General Atomics Corporate Site - PERSES introduction announcement
    https://www.ga.com/ga-introduces-perses-waste-destruction-system

Government Sources

  1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - PFAS Explained
    https://www.epa.gov/pfas/pfas-explained

  2. EPA - Current Understanding of Human Health and Environmental Risks of PFAS
    https://www.epa.gov/pfas/our-current-understanding-human-health-and-environmental-risks-pfas

  3. EPA - Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes First-Ever National Drinking Water Standard
    https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-finalizes-first-ever-national-drinking-water-standard

  4. EPA - Interim Guidance on the Destruction and Disposal of PFAS
    https://www.epa.gov/pfas/interim-guidance-destruction-and-disposal-pfas-and-materials-containing-pfas

  5. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - PFAS Information
    https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/pfc

  6. U.S. Geological Survey - PFAS in Tap Water Study
    https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/tap-water-study-detects-pfas-forever-chemicals-across-us

Industry and Academic Sources

  1. Bay West LLC - Environmental remediation company official website
    https://baywest.com/

  2. Envirotec Magazine - "Industrial-scale PFAS destruction system scheduled to trial at Minnesota site"
    https://envirotecmagazine.com/2025/04/16/industrial-scale-pfas-destruction-system-scheduled-to-trial-at-minnesota-site/

  3. International Fire and Safety Journal - "PFAS destruction technology tested in Minnesota waste facility"
    https://internationalfireandsafetyjournal.com/pfas-destruction-technology-tested-in-minnesota-waste-facility/

  4. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health - "What to Know About PFAS"
    https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/what-to-know-about-pfas

  5. Environmental and Social Security Institute - "The State of PFAS Forever Chemicals in America (2024)"
    https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/issue-brief-the-state-of-pfas-forever-chemicals-in-america-2024

Scientific and Technical Sources

  1. ITRC (Interstate Technology Regulatory Council) - PFAS Treatment Technologies
    https://pfas-1.itrcweb.org/12-treatment-technologies/

  2. PMC (PubMed Central) - "A Review of PFAS Destruction Technologies"
    https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9778349/

  3. SAME (Society of American Military Engineers) - "Investigating Emerging PFAS Destruction Technologies"
    https://www.same.org/tmearticle/pfas-destruction-technology/

  4. ScienceDirect - "Updated review on emerging technologies for PFAS contaminated water treatment"
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0263876222001733

News and Press Sources

  1. ACCESS Newswire - General Atomics demonstration announcement
    https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/aerospace-and-defense/general-atomics-demonstrates-pfas-destruction-system-for-minnesota-congresswo-1037124

  2. Natural Resources Defense Council - "Forever Chemicals Called PFAS Show Up in Your Food, Clothes, and Home"
    https://www.nrdc.org/stories/forever-chemicals-called-pfas-show-your-food-clothes-and-home

Additional Technical Resources

  1. Barr Engineering - "PFAS Destruction Technologies - Incineration, Hydrothermal Alkaline Treatment"
    https://www.barr.com/Insights/Insights-Article/ArtMID/1344/ArticleID/511/Emerging-PFAS-destruction-technologies

  2. NIEHS Environmental Factor - "Water treatment technology aims to destroy PFAS on-site"
    https://factor.niehs.nih.gov/2024/11/feature/1-feature-pfas

General Atomics Demonstrates PFAS Destruction System for Minnesota Congresswoman, State and Local Officials | General Atomics

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