SAWI Water Innovation follows an evidence-led approach to environmental technology.

Gyroid™ media has been examined through university research, independent laboratory testing and field-deployed material analysis across Australia, the United Kingdom and India.

The evidence is not presented as proof that one material will remove every contam

SAWI Water Innovation follows an evidence-led approach to environmental technology.

Gyroid™ media has been examined through university research, independent laboratory testing and field-deployed material analysis across Australia, the United Kingdom and India.

The evidence is not presented as proof that one material will remove every contaminant in every environment. Different studies answer different questions — adsorption, pollutant retention, water-quality interaction, leachability and field performance.

Our approach is therefore:

Characterise → Test → Deploy → Measure → Recover → Verify → Improve

Each evidence stream below is presented with its scientific purpose, principal finding and limitations.

 Research: Remediation Potential of a Synthesised Polymeric Material for Toxic Metals and PFAS Researcher: Samantha Kerle Institution: University of Technology Sydney Year: 2024 Evidence status: 🟢 Primary academic research The UTS Honours research investigated the behaviour of the sponge material across 26 metals and three PFAS compounds

 Research: Remediation Potential of a Synthesised Polymeric Material for Toxic Metals and PFAS Researcher: Samantha Kerle Institution: University of Technology Sydney Year: 2024 Evidence status: 🟢 Primary academic research The UTS Honours research investigated the behaviour of the sponge material across 26 metals and three PFAS compounds — PFHxS, PFOA and PFOS — using controlled laboratory conditions including ultrapure water, salt water and oil-containing matrices. Analytical techniques included ICP-MS for metals and LC-MS/MS for PFAS.

The research demonstrated adsorption of multiple toxic metals and found that both low- and high-density sponge configurations adsorbed the three tested PFAS compounds across the investigated water matrices. The thesis reported broadly consistent PFAS adsorption across freshwater, saline and oil-containing test environments. For field-exposed Tuggerah Lakes material, metals identified on the sponge included chromium, copper, lead and other elements, with manganese showing the most notable environmental uptake in that portion of the study.

The same UTS research identified aluminium and zinc leaching from the native sponge material during laboratory testing, meaning adsorption capacities for those two metals could not reliably be determined. The thesis specifically recommended that aluminium and zinc be included in water-quality monitoring during environmental applications. What this evidence supports: Gyroid-format material has demonstrated measurable adsorption behaviour for selected metals and PFAS under controlled laboratory conditions. What it does not establish: The study does not establish unrestricted environmental suitability, universal removal efficiency or the safety of every material formulation and deployment configuration. That distinction is why SAWI Water Innovation now incorporates batch-specific material characterisation and leachability controls into its validation pathway. Founded in 1998, SA Water Innovation was created in response to the growing environmental concerns of the time. Since then, we have been dedicated to making a positive impact on the planet through advocacy, education, and community engagement.

Laboratory: SOCOTEC UK
Program: SORR UK/Ireland PFAS evaluation
Evidence status: 🟢 Independent laboratory testing / reviewed result summary

SOCOTEC developed a controlled PFAS testing protocol designed to compare PFAS concentrations in water passed through the Gyroid-format product against control conditions. The protocol contemplated rep

Laboratory: SOCOTEC UK
Program: SORR UK/Ireland PFAS evaluation
Evidence status: 🟢 Independent laboratory testing / reviewed result summary

SOCOTEC developed a controlled PFAS testing protocol designed to compare PFAS concentrations in water passed through the Gyroid-format product against control conditions. The protocol contemplated replicated testing of spiked deionised water, groundwater and contaminated environmental water.

PFAS compoundReported difference after 24 hoursPFOS>83% reductionPFHxS>78% reduction6:2 FTS64% reductionPFHxA30% reductionPFPeA25% reductionPFOA18% reductionPFBANo sustained incremental reduction at 24 hPFHpAConcentration increased in treated sample

The reviewed SOCOTEC summary reported the strongest reductions for PFOS and PFHxS, both reaching concentrations below 5 ng/L in the Product A samples after 24 hours.

PFHpA increased in the treated sample and PFBA showed no sustained treatment difference at 24 hours. SAWI Water Innovation considers these results important because environmental science should report positive, negative and inconclusive findings, not selectively publish favourable results.

What this evidence supports:
The tested material demonstrated differential interaction with PFAS compounds, with particularly strong observed reductions for PFOS and PFHxS under the conditions reported.

What it does not establish:
It does not demonstrate removal of every PFAS species, unlimited adsorption capacity, field-scale breakthrough performance or destruction of PFAS.

SAWI Water Innovation therefore describes Gyroid™ as a potential PFAS capture/interception platform requiring matrix- and application-specific validation, rather than claiming universal PFAS removal.

 Location: Panaji, Goa, India

Laboratory: Sadekar Enviro Engineers Pvt Ltd Program: CSR-funded stormwater remediation pilot Evidence status: 🟠 Field deployment + laboratory supporting evidence Gyroid-format material was deployed at stormwater drainage points in Panaji, including areas associated with the Caranzalem Nala and adjacent estua

 Location: Panaji, Goa, India

Laboratory: Sadekar Enviro Engineers Pvt Ltd Program: CSR-funded stormwater remediation pilot Evidence status: 🟠 Field deployment + laboratory supporting evidence Gyroid-format material was deployed at stormwater drainage points in Panaji, including areas associated with the Caranzalem Nala and adjacent estuarine environment. Laboratory work examined highly contaminated water and used/unused media.

Untreated water analysed within the program was reported with: COD — 3,320 mg/L BOD — 1,050 mg/L The program also examined suspended solids, ammonia and nitrogen-associated pollution.

SAWI-held project records report manganese associated with used material increasing from approximately:0.22 mg/L → 7.52 mg/L This is consistent with the material accumulating manganese during exposure to the contaminated stormwater environment.

Used and unused material was also subjected to TCLP-related metals testing, referenced against USEPA Method 1311 / IS 3025. Project records report non-detectable or trace leachable lead, cadmium and mercury in the relevant test series.

TCLP is a defined waste-leachability test. It is not a marine-water ecotoxicology test and should not be presented as one.The India evidence therefore supports the proposition that material leachability can be objectively characterised and that the media has operated within highly contaminated stormwater matrices. It does not establish universal marine safety or resolve the behaviour of every Gyroid™ formulation or material batch.For formal regulatory reliance, SAWI Water Innovation's current evidence review recommends presenting the original laboratory certificates and raw analytical records alongside the project summary.
 

 Laboratory: Microanalysis Australia / WA Location: Long Jetty 19, Tuggerah Lakes, NSW Analytical work: GC-MS and project analytical reporting Reference: Job 23_0408 Evidence status: 🟢 Field-deployed material + analytical evidence Unlike bench testing, the Long Jetty work examined material that had actually been deployed in a polluted st

 Laboratory: Microanalysis Australia / WA Location: Long Jetty 19, Tuggerah Lakes, NSW Analytical work: GC-MS and project analytical reporting Reference: Job 23_0408 Evidence status: 🟢 Field-deployed material + analytical evidence Unlike bench testing, the Long Jetty work examined material that had actually been deployed in a polluted stormwater environment and subsequently recovered for analysis. Microanalysis analysis identified a range of retained petroleum-associated and organic compounds on the recovered sponge material. The analytical profile included hydrocarbons and petroleum markers consistent with the contaminated stormwater environment. Examples identified through GC-MS included:

• hydrocarbon / diesel-associated compounds;
• fatty alcohols and esters;
• 1H-Benzotriazole, commonly associated with corrosion-inhibitor applications;
• sulfur-containing organic compounds;
• chlorinated hydrocarbons; and
• bisnorhopane, a petroleum geochemical marker.

Project analytical reporting also records retention of metals including zinc, antimony and manganese on deployed material. A Long Jetty project record additionally reports 2.93 g/kg of PFAS associated with a tested sponge sample. SAWI Water Innovation treats this as a field analytical observation; individual PFAS species, analytical methodology and the primary laboratory certificate should accompany the figure before it is used for regulator-grade quantitative comparison. What this evidence supports: Retrieved Gyroid-format material can act as both an interception medium and an environmental diagnostic, allowing pollutants accumulated during deployment to be recovered and subsequently characterised. What it does not establish: A material concentration on recovered media does not automatically equal a whole-waterbody removal percentage. Loading depends on exposure duration, flow, pollutant concentration, deployment configuration and environmental conditions.

 What the evidence collectively tells us

No single study answers every question. Together, however, the evidence establishes a scientifically meaningful basis for continued controlled development of the Gyroid™ platform:

Laboratory and field evidence demonstrates interaction with and retention of multiple metals, while also identifyin

 What the evidence collectively tells us

No single study answers every question. Together, however, the evidence establishes a scientifically meaningful basis for continued controlled development of the Gyroid™ platform:

Laboratory and field evidence demonstrates interaction with and retention of multiple metals, while also identifying zinc and aluminium leachability as material-safety variables requiring specific controls.

UTS demonstrated adsorption of PFHxS, PFOA and PFOS under controlled conditions, while SOCOTEC environmental-water testing demonstrated compound-specific reductions, including >83% PFOS and >78% PFHxS at 24 hours in the reviewed dataset.

Recovered Long Jetty material contained a broad profile of petroleum-associated and organic compounds identified through analytical testing.

India deployment evidence demonstrates use of the material in a highly contaminated stormwater matrix and provides supporting evidence around contaminant accumulation and post-use leachability.

Environmental performance depends on: material formulation + contaminant + concentration + water chemistry + flow + contact time + deployment geometry + environmental conditions. For that reason, SAWI Water Innovation uses existing evidence to determine what should be tested next, rather than extrapolating one laboratory result into an unrestricted environmental claim. Our validation philosophy is: Evidence establishes potential. Controlled trials establish performance. Independent measurement establishes credibility. Repeatability establishes scalability. This is the foundation of the SAWI Water Innovation PAGE™ → PEA™ → SHIELD™ validation framework.   🟢 PRIMARY / INDEPENDENT EVIDENCE Primary academic research, independent laboratory analysis or analytical examination of recovered field material.🟠 SUPPORTING / PROJECT EVIDENCE Field-program records or laboratory summaries where additional primary certificates, raw data or replication should accompany regulator-grade quantitative claims.🔵 UNDER VALIDATION Applications for which the underlying scientific mechanism or preliminary evidence exists but site-specific performance has not yet been independently established. 

SAWI Water Innovation publishes these distinctions deliberately. Credible environmental innovation requires transparency about both what the evidence shows and what remains to be established.