Forever Chemicals: £1.6tn Cleanup Bill Looms for UK and Europe

January, 2025

The cost of cleaning up toxic PFAS pollution in the UK and Europe could exceed £1.6tn over 20 years, with annual costs reaching £84bn. In the UK alone, cleanup costs could reach £9.9bn annually if emissions remain uncontrolled. The Forever Lobbying Project's investigation revealed that PFAS, known as "forever chemicals," are ubiquitous in consumer products and industrial processes, linked to various health issues.

UK pollution hotspots are increasing, with 278 instances of untreated drinking water exceeding maximum guidance levels. Cleaning up existing legacy pollution in the UK is estimated to cost £428m annually for 20 years. The Environment Agency has identified up to 10,000 high-risk PFAS-contaminated sites, with investigation costs alone described as "frightening".

Experts suggest that restricting PFAS use is more cost-effective than environmental treatment. A YouGov survey found strong public support for stopping or controlling toxic PFAS use. The Royal Society of Chemistry is advocating for public protections against PFAS in the recent water special measures bill, urging the creation of a national PFAS inventory and stricter industrial discharge limits.

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By Ade Alao June 2, 2025
The agreement was signed with Envytech Solutions, the leading expert in mobile water treatment in the Nordic region and a member of the Sortera Group, which operates across the Nordics and the UK. This follows a successful field pilot treating groundwater contaminated with aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), a known source of PFAS pollution. The pilot project was part of a larger infrastructure remediation initiative. “This milestone marks our transition from pilot projects to full-scale commercial deployment,” said Vincent Caillaud, Chief Executive Officer at Puraffinity. “It validates years of R&D and customer collaboration. More importantly, it signals the beginning of a broader rollout as we address PFAS pollution across industries and geographies, allowing us to bring value to customers in their challenges to remove PFAS from water.’’ The deployment reduces Envytech’s current volume of 4000 L of Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) with just 200 L of Puraffinity’s Puratech G400, an advanced adsorbent media engineered for high selectivity and efficiency. As well as the significant reduction in material volume, it is estimated Envytech will benefit from an estimated 50% increase in lifespan, reducing system downtime and stretching replacement intervals. Lower labour and less waste handling cut operating costs, while the smaller system reduces capital expenditure. The new solution also aligns with tightening global PFAS regulations. “We’ve demonstrated that PFAS removal can be cleaner, more efficient, and more sustainable,” said Neal Megonnell, Chief Commercial Officer. “By helping our partners lower their operational footprint and costs, we’re not only solving a technical problem but also driving tangible progress toward environmental and regulatory goals.” The field pilot confirmed that Puratech G400’s laboratory performance holds under real-world conditions, and delivers reliable PFAS removal even in complex water, with contact times reduced from 24 minutes to just 1 minute. The technology also offers modular scalability, making it suitable for a wide range of applications, from industrial wastewater and remediation sites to municipal water systems. Erik Löfgren, Sales Manager at Envytech Solutions, said “Puratech G400 exceeded our performance expectations and will reduce the waste we generate. It’s a vital upgrade as we push toward greener, more efficient operations.” Puratech G400’s unique surface chemistry enables it to selectively capture a broad range of PFAS compounds, including both short- and long-chain variants. Its performance and adaptability make it a strong candidate for long-term, global deployment as PFAS regulations become more stringent. Looking ahead, Puraffinity is preparing for additional commercial rollouts across Europe and North America, working closely with partners in various sectors.
The logo for innovate uk business connect is purple and blue
By Ade Alao February 12, 2025
Puraffinity has been selected to present at Tech Tour Water Tech 2025 in Copenhagen. This conference is a leading European investment and innovation event focused on water technology, taking place in Copenhagen, Denmark, on June 11-12, 2025. The event is designed to accelerate the growth of startups and scale-ups developing solutions for the water sector by connecting them with top-tier investors, corporate partners, and industry experts.
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By Ade Alao February 11, 2025
The 2025 edition will be held April 22–24 at the Long Beach Convention Center in California. The conference emphasises cutting-edge solutions, regulatory updates, and industry collaboration, with sessions tailored for dealers, manufacturers, and researchers across residential, commercial, and industrial water treatment sectors. Our CEO, Vincent Caillaud, CCO, Neal Megonnell and Sales and Business Development Manager, Ryan Adams , will be in attendance.
A poster for the world water tech innovation summit in london
By Ade Alao February 11, 2025
The World Water-Tech Innovation Summit will bring together 600 global water utilities, regulators, engineering firms, technology giants and start-ups to accelerate energy efficiency and circular solutions for climate-resilient water systems. Our CTO, Jess Middlemiss , will be speaking on the Aligning Policy and Innovation to Fight Water Pollutants panel, on Wednesday February 26, 2025.
The logo for purafffinity is purple and green and has a circle in the middle.
By Ade Alao February 5, 2025
Neal Megonnell brings over three decades of experience in various leadership, technology and sales roles in the carbon industry to his new position at Puraffinity. His extensive background and expertise in the water treatment sector and the specific technologies for removing contaminants make him an invaluable addition to the company's executive team. In his role as CCO, Neal will be responsible for driving Puraffinity's commercial strategy, expanding market presence, and accelerating growth in the rapidly evolving field of PFAS removal technologies. "We are thrilled to welcome Neal to our team," said Vincent Caillaud, CEO of Puraffinity. "His impressive track record in the industry, coupled with his deep understanding of PFAS-related challenges, aligns perfectly with our mission. His background in R&D, with multiple published papers and two patents related to activated carbon, will be instrumental in driving our commercial success and furthering our goal of providing innovative PFAS removal solutions." Neal holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master’s in Colloids, Polymers and Surfaces. This strong academic foundation, combined with his extensive industry experience, positions him well to lead Puraffinity's commercial efforts in addressing one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. Neal's expertise is extensively demonstrated through his strategic involvement in various professional committees, including Chair of the American Water Works Association Standards on Activated Carbon Committee, the ASTM D28 Activated Carbon Committee, and serving as Chairman of the Standards for Activated Carbon. "I am thrilled to join Puraffinity at this exciting time," said Neal Megonnell. "The company's commitment to developing sustainable adsorbent materials for PFAS removal aligns with my passion for innovative water treatment solutions. I look forward to working with the talented team at Puraffinity to expand our market reach and deliver cutting-edge technologies to communities and industries worldwide."
A woman in a black jacket and a colorful shirt is standing in front of a painting.
By Ade Alao October 11, 2024
October, 2024 Puraffinity, which develops precision technologies to remove toxic “forever chemicals” perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from water, has appointed Jessica Middlemiss as Chief Technology Officer. Jessica joins from Matter, an environmentally focussed startup which develops technology to remove micro-scale pollution from water. Prior to Matter, Jesscia was Head of Plastics Technology at Sartorius and spent ten years at Dyson including two years as Head of Operations for The Dyson Institute – Dyson’s in-house undergraduate degree-apprenticeship programme. “Jessica has a really broad technical and business network across both industry and academia which is valuable to us,” said Puraffinity co-founder Henrik Hagemann. “Jessica brings relevant start-up experience from her time at Matter, leading a large team of scientists at Sartorius and held a variety of engineering and management positions at Dyson. We are delighted to have her join us.” “I believe I have the combination of technical understanding and people skills which will help Puraffinity flourish,” said Jessica. “I have built my career on an ability to bring together exceptional technical people to work on clear and targeted challenges as a team. I know how to get people motivated and focussed on a common goal that delivers commercially for the organisation.” Jessica has a Masters in materials science and engineering from Imperial College London and is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining (IOM3).
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