🔒Tennessee firm proposes $180M plant in Sanford that would destroy ‘forever chemicals’

A company headquartered in Franklin, Tenn., is proposing to build a $180 million treatment facility in the York County city of Sanford to address the growing issue of PFAS, so-called forever chemicals.

The plant would use thermal technology to destroy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. It would treat the biosolids that are the organic remnants from wastewater treatment, according to a news release.

Its customers would be municipalities. “Communities are urgently seeking safe, science-based solutions to the challenges posed by PFAS and biosolids,” said Jon Cozens, CEO of Aries Clean Technologies, which announced the proposal on Tuesday.

Aries Clean Technologies said its thermal conversion technology would significantly reduce biosolid volume and destroy harmful contaminants.

The facility would have the capacity to process 400 tons per day at an 11-acre site in the Cyro Road industrial park.

Aries Clean Technologies is backed by a private equity firm, Spring Lane Capital, which is based in Montreal and Boston.

Limited options

Concerns about PFAS have resulted in limited traditional disposal options, leaving communities with rising costs and fewer choices, said Andre Brousseau, superintendent of the Sanford Sewerage District.

“Having a reliable, in-state option to manage biosolids is critically important for wastewater districts like ours,” Brousseau said of the Aries proposal.

Aries said it explored siting options in the region and decided on Sanford as ideally positioned to host the new plant.

Biosolids would be transported to the facility in enclosed trucks, unloaded into an enclosed building with negative air pressure, with air-emission and odor controls incorporated into the facility design, Aries said.

Privately funded

The proposed facility would require a $180 million investment, privately funded by Aries, and is expected to create over 100 construction jobs and at least 30 permanent technical and operational positions after completion.

Keith McBride, executive director of the Sanford/Springvale Economic Growth Council, said the project could also mean new tax revenue for the city.

Controlled heat

Launched in 2017, Aries designs, builds, owns and operates a patented closed-loop process that it calls “biosolids gasification,” which uses controlled heat in a sealed, oxygen-limited environment to break down treated biosolids. Byproducts include clean gas that could be used to power the facility and biochar, a granular carbon substance produced when organic matter is decomposed thermally in an oxygen-starved chamber and can be used in applications such as environmental remediation and as an additive to concrete.

Its first commercial-scale biosolids gasification facility began operation in Linden, N.J., in late 2024. The plant operates at a scale designed to process 400 tons per day — roughly the waste generated by one million people.

Cozens has been a central figure in the development, financing and construction of several first-in-its-kind technology waste-to-value commercial-scale projects in the U.S. over the past 20 years, according to his bio.

At the Linden, N.J., facility, a third-party engineering study determined a 99% PFAS destruction rate, the company said.

Mark Lyons, Aries’ senior director of business development, said the company is looking for local input about how the project could best fit into the community.

24/7 operation

Aries said it’s targeting a construction start in early 2027 and facility start-up in the fall of 2028.

Lot 4 on Cyro Road is undeveloped industrial land half a mile from the Sanford Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The 78,725-square-foot facility would operate 24/7. Aries said it would hire construction and operations personnel from the local workforce whenever possible.

Traffic would include “fewer than” 20 trucks per day. The site is adjacent to State Route 109, which would keep truck routes out of residential neighborhoods, the company said.

The facility will undergo review and oversight through state and local permitting processes, including the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and site plan and construction approvals from the city of Sanford.

Aries said it will continue sharing information throughout the permitting and development process.

Sanford currently transports its biosolids more than 140 miles because Maine has limited in-state options, according to the release. The Aries facility would reduce long-distance hauling, destroy pollutants and helping preserve Maine’s landfill capacity, the company said.

Sanford was selected for the facility because it has the right combination of industrial zoning, infrastructure compatibility and location, the company said.

“This proposal represents a modern solution to Maine’s biosolids challenges while strengthening our economy, supporting skilled jobs, and making use of the industrial infrastructure we’ve deliberately built for projects of this kind,” said Steve Buck, Sanford’s city manager.