Filtering out harmful substances from drinking water before it reaches our taps is a huge industry. One multi-generational family in Oberlin, Ohio, has a way to make it better, Ideastream Public Media reported.
In 2019, the Flood family founded their company, CoreWater, with the goal of creating a viable business that could address drinking water safety. Dennis M., his father Dennis J., and their younger relative Cody form three of the company's four employees. And while they may be small for now, that doesn't mean they are not mighty. To date, the startup has landed $2.9 million in private investments, according to Ideastream.
And there's a good reason.
The Floods are tackling one of the most common water pollutants: PFAS, or poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances. These compounds are extremely tough to break down, and many have been linked to higher rates of serious illnesses after they were used in common household items and plastics for decades.
Today, the issue is especially pressing, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is rolling out strict regulations on pollutants in drinking water to protect millions of people's health, Ideastream explained.
To cut PFAS out of drinking water, the family business leveraged a water filtration material called granular activated carbon (GAC), which many large utility providers already use. The Floods created a new chemical coating — they call it Core+ — to add to GAC that is highly effective at stripping water of any PFAS. Once it's saturated with toxins, it can be rinsed and reused again and again, Ideastream explained.
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GAC is not very good at absorbing PFAS on its own, but with CoreWater's solution, it can work like a charm. After the pollutants are removed from the water, a variety of treatments can then be performed to destroy them forever. The company is exploring collaborations with other groups that specialize in these treatments, per the outlet.
Here's another feat: The company has produced something unique that doesn't need its own manufacturing. Instead, the plan is to license the Core+ technology directly to GAC plants so they can easily add it to their assembly lines. The Floods believe this kind of model will give them an edge in carving out a slice of the multibillion-dollar water treatment market, according to Ideastream.
So far, the company has grown from small tests to 100-pound batches. It aims to get a prototype into a real water-treatment plant within the year, the Floods told the outlet.
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Water utilities will need to take strong fiscal action to meet the new EPA regulations. With CoreWater's help, thousands of public water systems will be able to get there quicker, cleaner, and cheaper, Ideastream explained.
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"Having a solution for PFAS concentration that can be used so widely is really powerful," said Emily Hamilton, an analyst at the Cleveland Water Alliance, one of CoreWater's partners, per Ideastream.
"One of the things that my father has always strived for in his career … is to do what's right for the environment," Dennis M. told the outlet.
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