AFFF Reckoning: Pentagon Sets Clock on PFAS Stockpiles

Pentagon guidance to eliminate 3.5mn gallons of firefighting foam by October 2026 shifts focus to a small group of permitted PFAS treatment operators

13 Mar 2026

The US military has ordered the permanent destruction of more than 3.5mn gallons of PFAS-contaminated firefighting foam, setting an October 2026 deadline that is expected to drive demand for specialised treatment facilities.

In February 2026, the Department of War issued federal guidance requiring military installations to eliminate stockpiles of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) and related rinsate. The directive marks a shift in federal policy: PFAS waste must now be destroyed at commercially permitted facilities with independent verification. Storage, transport and incineration are no longer considered compliant options.

Revive Environmental, a Columbus-based company, said on March 11 that its treatment system is already able to meet the new standard. The company operates what it says is the only commercially permitted supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) facility at scale in the US.

The system, marketed as the PFAS Annihilator, was developed with research group Battelle and launched in late 2022 with backing from Viking Global Investors. Revive says it has since processed PFAS-containing waste for state agencies, federal sites and industrial operators.

SCWO technology destroys chemicals by heating water beyond its supercritical point, above 374C and at pressures greater than 22 megapascals. Under these conditions, organic compounds oxidise rapidly, breaking PFAS into carbon dioxide, water and inorganic salts.

Independent testing has reported destruction rates above 99.99 per cent, including for shorter-chain PFAS compounds that have proved difficult to remove using other technologies. In January, Revive completed what it described as the first verified PFAS destruction batch under North Carolina’s AFFF Take-Back Program.

The federal guidance also signals a move away from incineration, which has faced criticism from regulators and local communities concerned about incomplete combustion and airborne PFAS emissions.

The order comes as US regulators tighten oversight of the chemicals. The Environmental Protection Agency has introduced drinking water limits for several PFAS compounds, while liability under the Superfund law, known as CERCLA, is expanding to military bases and industrial sites.

Industry groups say the October 2026 deadline could test the limited capacity of permitted treatment operators. The mandate is also expected to intensify competition across the US environmental remediation sector as demand for verified destruction technologies grows.