Birchtech Enters Water Treatment Market with $0.9 Million in Initial Orders Amid Growing Regulatory Pressure

Birchtech Corp., a clean technology company specializing in sustainable air and water treatment, has officially launched its water treatment solutions business with purchase orders totaling $0.9 million from a mid-Atlantic power utility. The company also announced a partnership with Civil & Environmental Consultants Inc. to provide specialized testing services, signaling its entry into a market driven by tightening environmental regulations.

The timing of Birchtech's market entry coincides with increasing regulatory pressure on water utilities to remove harmful contaminants, particularly per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly called 'forever chemicals.' These substances have been linked to serious health issues including low birth rates, increased cancer risks, and high blood pressure in pregnant women. New Environmental Protection Agency regulations require public water systems to begin monitoring for these chemicals by 2027 and implement Maximum Contaminant Level limits by 2029. The federal government has allocated $1 billion in funding for water monitoring systems, creating what Birchtech estimates to be a $1.5 billion annual market for water purification solutions to meet EPA standards.

Birchtech's initial contract involves providing filtration system media replacement services for contaminant removal from wastewater at two locations for the mid-Atlantic utility. The company emphasizes its media-agnostic approach, which allows it to select the most effective products for each specific application rather than being limited to a single product line. "The analysis of multiple options, technologies, and media products allows for the selection of the best water treatment solutions that will yield optimal performance and the lowest cost for our utility customers," said John Pavlish, Birchtech's Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer.

The partnership with Civil & Environmental Consultants Inc. involves providing Rapid Small-Scale Column Testing for CEC's water utility customers nationwide. This specialized testing methodology simulates full-scale filter bed conditions in significantly less time, enabling utilities to make decisions about granular activated carbon performance and develop compliance strategies more efficiently. Birchtech will conduct these tests at its Analytical Design Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota, claiming to offer unmatched speed and cost advantages compared to other RSSCT laboratories in the United States.

"This collaboration is also a critical step for our 'Clean Water' business, providing a specialized test to CEC's water utility customers, both large and small," said Richard MacPherson, CEO of Birchtech. "We currently have numerous potential water treatment solutions projects with utilities in our pipeline and many of these utilities currently work with CEC." The company's business model combines direct service contracts with strategic partnerships to address what it identifies as a growing need for effective, affordable water treatment solutions as regulatory deadlines approach. With the EPA's monitoring requirements beginning in 2027 and full compliance mandated by 2029, Birchtech's timing positions it to potentially capture significant market share in the evolving water treatment industry.