Award-Winning Science Closes the PFAS Reactivation Debate

Calgon Carbon wins the 2026 AWWA Innovation Award after peer-reviewed research confirms PFAS destruction above 99.9% efficiency.

26 Jun 2026

Calgon Carbon received the 2026 American Water Works Association Innovation Award on June 25, recognised in the service provider category for peer-reviewed research showing that PFAS contaminants are destroyed during the thermal reactivation of granular activated carbon.

The research documents a destruction removal efficiency greater than 99.9%, validated under current test standards. For years, a central concern in water treatment has been whether carbon reactivation simply moves PFAS to another medium rather than eliminating it. The new data closes that question with a measurable result.

Kuraray, Calgon Carbon's parent company, gains a commercially relevant technical position as regulators across the United States continue to tighten limits on PFAS — a class of synthetic chemicals — in drinking water systems. Utilities already using granular activated carbon filtration can add thermal reactivation as a destruction step without replacing existing infrastructure, preserving capital expenditure while keeping pace with stricter compliance thresholds.

PFAS contamination affects thousands of public water systems nationwide. Validated destruction pathways reduce legal exposure for utilities and suppliers alike, and the peer-reviewed basis of the 99.9% result gives procurement officers and regulators a credible benchmark when assessing treatment contracts. Demand for reactivation services may rise as compliance deadlines approach.

No timeline for broader commercial rollout has been announced.