At Daikin America’s Decatur, Alabama facility, Claros Technologies has completed a commercial optimization run using its ClarosTechUV platform. More than 170,000 gallons of PFAS-containing process water were treated using the company’s UV-driven destruction system. Unlike traditional separation technologies that capture PFAS for later disposal, this platform is designed to break the compounds down entirely.
The goal of the December test aimed to prove that the platform could deliver consistent results under full industrial conditions — and it did. Claros reports a destruction rate of more than 99.99% across a range of PFAS chemistries, including ultra-short-chain compounds like TFA. That level of efficiency, achieved at hundreds of gallons per minute, positions the technology as ready for continuous deployment, not just demonstration-scale pilots.
In addition to its destruction performance, the system ran with stable energy use and required minimal footprint adjustments within Daikin’s operational facility — key considerations for manufacturers evaluating on-site treatment options.
With regulatory pressure mounting and disposal routes growing more limited, PFAS destruction technologies are being closely watched across the industrial sector. Claros is one of a handful of companies moving beyond lab-scale claims into operational reality, with a growing track record in high-volume industrial settings.
The Decatur project followed earlier pilots and is now serving as the blueprint for what could become the first fully commercial PFAS destruction system deployed at an operating manufacturing plant. Claros and Daikin are working on engineering specifications for the next phase, with a focus on scalability, repeatability, and integration into ongoing production.
According to Claros, their technology has now been used to treat over 500,000 gallons of industrial water containing PFAS across multiple partners, concentration levels, and water chemistries. That field data is helping the company move its platform from being just “field-tested” to truly “field-ready” — a key distinction as manufacturers look to shift from containment to elimination strategies.
For Daikin, the partnership aligns with broader sustainability goals by embedding water treatment directly into manufacturing operations. The move reflects an emerging mindset among industrial players: environmental performance isn’t just about compliance — it’s about operational credibility and long-term resilience.
As interest in destruction-based PFAS treatment continues to grow, the Decatur run sends a clear signal to the market: scalable PFAS elimination isn’t future tech — it’s happening now.
