374Water highlights role of advanced wastewater treatment amid US foodborne illness investigation

374Water Inc (NASDAQ:SCWO, FRA:8LL) has highlighted the role it believes advanced wastewater treatment technologies can play in protecting public health as US officials investigate one of the largest foodborne illness outbreaks in recent history.

The company noted that while investigators continue to determine the source of the outbreak, the incident underscores the importance of water infrastructure in reducing the spread of harmful contaminants through communities, food systems, and water supplies.

374Water said municipalities are investing billions of dollars to modernize aging water and wastewater infrastructure, creating demand for technologies designed to destroy organic contaminants, including pathogens such as Cyclospora, pharmaceuticals, biosolids, industrial waste, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and other emerging pollutants.

"Our communities rely on infrastructure that does more than simply manage waste - they count on infrastructure to promote and maintain public health, eliminate threats, and prioritize human health and the environment," Belton Copp, vice president of investor relations at 374Water, said in a statement.

"The future of wastewater treatment is evolving beyond collection and disposal towards destruction for good."

The company said its Air Supercritical Water Oxidation (AirSCWO) technology is designed to permanently destroy difficult-to-treat organic waste streams at the molecular level, contrasting it with conventional wastewater treatment methods that often separate or transfer contaminants to other disposal pathways.

374Water said it expects permanent destruction technologies to become increasingly important as water reuse expands, populations grow, water-intensive industries increase demand for reliable supplies, and regulators place greater emphasis on PFAS destruction and environmental compliance.

The company also outlined recent commercial developments, including operations at the City of Orlando's Iron Bridge Water Reclamation Facility, expansion of its Waste Destruction as a Service business model, and deployments of commercial AirSCWO systems for municipal and industrial customers in Olathe, Kansas, St. Cloud, Minnesota, and the Orange County Sanitation District in California.

In addition, 374Water cited a US Department of Defense-sponsored validation that it said demonstrated more than 99.9% destruction of PFAS across multiple waste streams, as well as ongoing collaborations with engineering, environmental and infrastructure partners.

"As societies around the world confront increasingly complex waste streams, the need for advanced technologies that permanently destroy contaminants-not simply relocate them-will continue to grow," Copp said.

"We believe AirSCWO represents the next generation of environmental infrastructure for cleaner water, safer communities, and long-term sustainability."

Shares of 374Water were up around 3.6% at the start of Thursday's trading in New York.