Inside Europe’s Bold Bid to Erase PFAS for Good

Veolia expands PFAS destruction tech across Europe, pushing industry toward permanent removal and stronger compliance

5 Jul 2025

Europe’s effort to curb PFAS, the persistent “forever chemicals”, is advancing as Veolia rolls out a new high-temperature destruction system across the region. The company’s Drop technology, which targets full breakdown of specific PFAS compounds, is gaining attention for reaching destruction levels long viewed as difficult to achieve, marking a shift in Europe’s waste and water strategy.

Regulators have increased pressure on industry to move beyond containment methods such as filtration, which trap contaminants but leave residual waste. Veolia says its Drop system uses extreme heat and a specialised catalyst to achieve destruction rates of up to 99.9999 per cent. The technology is now operating at 20 hazardous-waste sites in France, Germany, the UK, Spain, Poland, Switzerland and Hungary, signalling a broad deployment rather than a local pilot.

The move comes as governments and companies search for technologies that can remove PFAS fully and reduce long-term environmental liability. A Veolia technical leader described the approach as a transition from limiting PFAS movement to “removing it from the equation”, presenting it as a step toward closing the loop on chemical pollution.

Analysts say demand for permanent treatment is rising. Research organisations and regulators increasingly back solutions designed for complete destruction, and consultancy IDTechEx forecasts strong growth in PFAS-treatment spending over the next decade. Europe is expected to lead as policy pressure increases and new systems reach commercial scale.

Environmental groups have called for more transparency and independent verification to confirm performance under varied operating conditions. Sustaining very high temperatures and maintaining detailed monitoring will be central to proving full breakdown of the targeted compounds. Despite these questions, sentiment in the sector remains broadly positive, with industry specialists viewing the latest deployments as a turning point.

Success with Drop could accelerate investment in other destruction-focused technologies, including advanced oxidation and electrochemical systems recently introduced in Europe by Axine Water Technologies and distributed through Nijhuis Saur Industries. After several years of testing and limited pilots, Europe appears to be building momentum in its PFAS strategy, opening the way for wider innovation and more permanent remediation options.