COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin was joined today by U.S. Senator Jon Husted (R-OH), and EPA Region 5 Administrator Anne Vogel, Ohio EPA Director John Logue, and Ohio State Fire Marshal Kevin Reardon. The delegation saw five PFAS Annihilator® units firsthand. The PFAS Annihilator is a supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) reactor that destroys PFAS rather than transferring it to another medium. The tour followed the full Revive process, from PFAS-impacted material intake, cataloging, and staging through destruction, testing, and verified discharge.
“When we came into the agency, the PFAS Disposal and Guidance documents were put out once every three years,” explained Zeldin. “We changed that guidance release to every year because the innovation keeps improving so quickly. There are some key technologies that are being utilized here that the EPA has been very heavily looking at both internally and with public/private partnerships. That engagement, that confirmation, both on the science and on the economics and cost, is key.”
Administrator Zeldin saw technology operating at a commercial scale, proving that so-called forever chemicals are no longer forever. Revive destroys PFAS in impacted liquids of every kind: aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), landfill leachate, industrial wastewater, contaminated groundwater, and rinse water recovered from cleaning foam tanks and vessels. Concentrated materials like AFFF are destroyed directly. Larger volumes are concentrated first, then destroyed, making treatment cost-effective at scale for states, fire departments, airports, and commercial customers. That cost-effectiveness matters most for the utilities and municipalities on the front lines of PFAS compliance: commercial-scale destruction means communities can meet new drinking water standards without the cost of treatment landing on residents’ water bills.
“We were honored to host Administrator Zeldin and show him what verified PFAS destruction processes look like at commercial scale,” said Rick Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer of Revive Environmental. “This technology was developed and built in Ohio by engineers, creating skilled manufacturing and operations jobs here at home, and it is cost-effectively destroying PFAS today for states, fire departments, and communities across the country. PFAS destruction is no longer a research goal. It is a proven service, and this visit reflects the work our team does every day to deliver it.”
Revive launched in January 2023 as a spinout of Battelle, the Columbus-based nonprofit research organization, building on more than a decade of Battelle research into PFAS destruction.
“The PFAS Annihilator began as a Battelle research program more than ten years ago,” said Matt Vaughan, Executive Vice President and President, Battelle. “Seeing it operate at commercial scale in Columbus, with the Administrator here to see it firsthand, shows what sustained American research and development can deliver for communities nationwide.”
As states nationwide confront legacy AFFF stockpiles, PFAS-impacted leachate, and contaminated groundwater, the Columbus facility demonstrates that permanent, verified destruction is available now.
About Revive Environmental
Revive Environmental Technology, LLC is an Ohio-based environmental technology company specializing in the permanent destruction of PFAS and other persistent contaminants. The company operates the only commercially available PFAS destruction business in North America, serving municipal, industrial, and federal clients at its permitted facilities in Columbus, Ohio and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Through its proprietary PFAS Annihilator® technology, Revive provides secure, regulator-aligned treatment services designed to eliminate PFAS at the source and protect communities over the long term.
Media Contact
Charly Rok
Revive Environmental Technology, LLC
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a9dfbceb-899d-40c8-88b7-ad91260fa164