The water tech firm’s new PFAS-destroying system, ForeverGone, wins industry accolades as U.S. regulation tightens and industrial demand surges. As U.S. regulators move to enforce the first-ever national limits on PFAS chemicals in drinking water, Gradiant Inc.—a Boston-based water technology firm led by CEO Anurag Bajpayee—is positioning itself to meet a demand spike many in the industry saw coming but few were ready for.
The company’s new PFAS treatment platform, called ForeverGone, is designed not merely to filter out the so-called “forever chemicals” but to destroy them outright, on-site, at industrial and municipal treatment locations. This month, the platform earned top honors at the 2025 Edison Awards, signaling both scientific validation and market-readiness at a critical moment for the U.S. water sector.
“This isn’t about filtering and shipping the problem elsewhere,” Anurag Bajpayee said in an interview. “We designed ForeverGone to eliminate PFAS completely—and make it scalable across industries.”
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of synthetic compounds used for decades in everything from firefighting foam to packaging. The chemicals have since been linked to cancer, immune disorders, and developmental issues, and they persist in soil, water, and the human body. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is finalizing new rules that would limit PFAS levels in drinking water to just a few parts per trillion.
That’s triggered a compliance scramble across water utilities, manufacturers, and remediation firms—many of whom are seeking faster, field-deployable technologies that go beyond traditional filtration.
From Lab Concept to Commercial Rollout
ForeverGone originated inside Gradiant’s applied research program, which draws on expertise in chemical engineering, artificial intelligence, and modular water systems. The technology uses a proprietary process to break PFAS molecules down to inert byproducts—effectively eliminating the chemical compounds from the treatment stream. The system is integrated with the company’s SmartOps AI platform, which monitors treatment conditions in real time and optimizes performance to minimize energy use and throughput bottlenecks.
The company says the platform is now in early deployment with customers across sectors including pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and environmental remediation.
Gradiant, which has over 3,000 water projects in 90 countries, has historically focused on industrial desalination, water reuse, and zero-liquid discharge systems. The PFAS push marks a new but adjacent chapter—one that reflects both a regulatory opportunity and rising public pressure on polluters.
“This is a rare moment where regulation, litigation, and science are all aligned,” said Anurag Bajpayee, who holds a PhD from MIT and co-founded Gradiant in 2013. “That doesn’t happen often in the water sector.”
The Compliance Mandate—and the Business Case
The EPA’s proposed regulations, expected to be finalized later this year, are projected to cost public water systems billions of dollars in upgrades and monitoring. Meanwhile, states like Michigan, California, and Massachusetts are already enforcing their own PFAS limits—and lawsuits against major manufacturers are proliferating.
According to the consulting firm Bluefield Research, the U.S. market for PFAS treatment could top $1.2 billion annually by 2026, driven by federal and state mandates, class action settlements, and insurance claims. Most existing systems rely on activated carbon or reverse osmosis, both of which generate PFAS-laced waste that must be incinerated or buried in specialized landfills.
That model, Bajpayee argues, is unsustainable.
“Utilities don’t want to just move the problem,” he said. “They want to solve it—and they want the economics to work.”
Gradiant says ForeverGone reduces operational complexity by avoiding the need for secondary waste handling, while also lowering carbon emissions compared to incineration or trucking waste to centralized disposal sites.
Scaling Up: Manufacturing, Partnerships, and Policy
Gradiant is now expanding regional manufacturing of ForeverGone units, with a focus on fast delivery to North America, Europe, and the Gulf states. The company is also in discussions with U.S. military and state agencies about deploying the systems at airports, fire training sites, and legacy contamination zones.
The business model mirrors Gradiant’s existing Water-as-a-Service platform, where customers pay for performance rather than buying the system outright—an approach that appeals to municipalities facing tight capital budgets.
Privately held Gradiant has raised more than $400 million in funding, with backers including BoltRock Holdings and Centaurus Capital. It reached unicorn valuation in 2023 and was recently named to TIME’s list of most innovative companies.
Analysts say the Edison Award helps Gradiant distinguish itself in a crowded and technically fragmented space.
“What Gradiant has is scale, experience, and now a timely PFAS solution,” said an investment director at a New York-based infrastructure fund. “They’re one of a handful of firms ready to deliver under real-world conditions.”
Beyond PFAS: A Broader Climate and Water Mandate
Though PFAS is the company’s most visible initiative right now, Bajpayee insists it’s part of a larger mandate.
“Innovation in water has always lagged behind energy or mobility,” he said. “But the climate crisis doesn’t wait. We’re building a portfolio to address multiple stress points—scarcity, pollution, compliance—all at once.”
Gradiant’s legacy systems are deployed in water-intensive industries including green hydrogen, battery manufacturing, food and beverage, and microelectronics. Its modular design philosophy means facilities can be scaled up quickly and adapted to different chemical profiles and regional requirements.
That adaptability, Bajpayee believes, will be crucial in the next decade—especially as supply chain sustainability becomes a top concern for manufacturers and investors alike.
“The pressure isn’t just coming from regulators anymore,” he said. “It’s coming from customers, shareholders, and communities.”
The Road Ahead
With ForeverGone now commercially deployed and regulatory pressure increasing, Gradiant appears poised to become a central player in the next wave of industrial water innovation. The company’s goal, according to Bajpayee, is not just to win contracts—but to change expectations.
“We’ve always believed that solving water isn’t just an engineering problem,” he said. “It’s a moral one. And we think the technology can rise to meet that challenge.”
For an industry often defined by inertia and legacy infrastructure, that’s a bold claim. But if Gradiant’s latest award is any indication, the era of forever chemicals may not last forever after all.
