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A team of Purdue professors, students, and industry partners is making waves in water safety with a new technology that doesn’t just filter hazardous contaminants — it destroys them outright.

The innovation, developed by Rey Barreto, associate professor of chemistry at Purdue University Northwest, and a cross-disciplinary team, tackles contamination in both homes and industry. At its core: an energy-efficient method that works at room temperature and has proven effective against everything from fuel additives to pharmaceuticals. Recent independent tests showed it also eliminates so-called “forever chemicals,” including PFAS, in water samples from California.

The project’s scope quickly grew thanks to the diverse expertise of Purdue faculty, including Charles Steele, Fred Berry, Jim Condron, Tillmann Kubis, and Christina Ferreira. “This technology embodies our vision for leveraging the collective strengths of Purdue and our industry partners,” said Berry, a professor in Purdue Polytechnic Institute’s School of Engineering Technology. “By providing undergraduates with hands-on learning experiences and fostering collaboration among professors and entrepreneurs, we create a dynamic team capable of executing transformative projects.”

Industry took notice, too. Rene Ramirez, founder of Fino Advisors, saw potential and backed early-stage development. His firm partnered with Purdue to spin out Frellmann Water Technologies, a startup now pushing Barreto’s tech into the real world.

“At Fino Advisors, we’re focused on backing affordable, low-energy technologies with the potential to transform critical systems for both people and the planet,” said Ramirez. He explained that while most affordable solutions only filter contaminants — and the ones that destroy them are typically pricey and hard to scale — Frellmann’s approach is different. “By combining Purdue’s scientific expertise with our industry insight, we’re accelerating the path to cleaner, safer water at almost any scale,” he said.

Rather than relying on federal funding, the project matched industry investment with Purdue’s student talent pipeline. Over 60 students from two campuses helped advance the technology via the university’s Fusion Point® capstone program, working on real-world solutions for business.

WATER: Contaminated water collects at a landfill site, awaiting purification through Purdue’s breakthrough technology designed to destroy PFAS and other persistent pollutants. (Courtesy of Purdue Research Foundation)

Dipak Narula, lead technology development liaison at the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization, called the invention “an exciting leap forward in the development of water treatment.” He added, “This disclosure offered a unique opportunity for us to connect academia and industry in a way that allowed the project to become much larger than the sum of its parts.”

The technology is now scheduled for deployment at multiple sites in central California, with hopes to expand nationwide. As Berry put it, “This initiative will fundamentally alter our approach to water treatment, showcasing the powerful outcomes that arise when diverse talents unite.”

Frellmann Water Technologies, founded by Ramirez with support from Fino Advisors, is now working to commercialize the breakthrough, aiming to take it from the lab to communities in need.

For more information on Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization or Fino Advisors, visit their respective websites.