Metir shares rise as it advances PFAS detection platform

(Sharecast News) - Metir said on Thursday that it had made several strategic advances in the commercial development of its proprietary PFAS detection platform, including its first commercial sale in the US, UK field-testing plans, artificial intelligence integration work and full ownership of related testing intellectual property.

The AIM-traded water and environmental monitoring technology company said it had completed the first commercial sale of a PFAS detector unit to Nasdaq-listed Veralto, a US water and product quality solutions group with a market capitalisation of about $20bn.

The transaction was structured on a lease-to-purchase basis.

Metir said the system was expected to be deployed within Veralto's water quality operations to evaluate its performance in commercial applications and its potential for broader market deployment to Veralto's global client base.

The company also said it was assessing commercial development opportunities with ProDecon Services, a UK PFAS decontamination specialist, for field testing of its PFAS detection platform.

The joint programme was expected to start in the third quarter of 2026 and would generate operational data to support further optimisation of the platform and potential commercial development in the UK remediation and decontamination market.

Metir has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Spain-based FIDCHEM, a developer of water treatment technologies targeting PFAS and other environmental contaminants.

Under the agreement, the companies will evaluate each other's PFAS technologies, primarily for the European market, and explore the integration of FIDCHEM's machine learning software with Metir's testing platform.

The company said the AI and machine learning functionality was intended to simplify data output and interpretation, reducing the level of specialist expertise required to operate the platform and enabling wider field deployment.

Metir also said it had agreed with Swansea University to transfer full proprietary intellectual property ownership to the company for the PFAS field testing method developed during a three-and-a-half-year collaboration.

In addition, Metir said it was evaluating potential PFAS testing applications in the global semiconductor manufacturing sector, where the chemicals remain in use and compliance requirements are becoming increasingly important.

The firm said its platform was well placed to monitor industrial waste streams on site during semiconductor manufacturing, making the sector a key target market.

PFAS, or polyfluorinated alkyl substances, are persistent synthetic chemicals widely used in industrial, agricultural and consumer applications and commonly known as "forever chemicals".

Metir said rising regulatory scrutiny in the UK, Europe and the US was increasing demand for reliable, field-deployable monitoring technologies, particularly in environmental remediation, wastewater management and industrial manufacturing.

Executive chairman and chief executive Bob Moore said the first commercial placement with Veralto "illustrates and provides further validation of the growing demand for rapid, field-deployable PFAS monitoring solutions".

"Alongside this initial deployment, our planned field testing activities in the UK, proposed machine learning AI-enabled software development, and the agreement to secure full ownership of the underlying PFAS measurement IP, are intended to further strengthen our unique commercial offering in this field and to support future growth opportunities," Moore said.

"With regulatory scrutiny of PFAS contamination increasing globally, we believe Metir is well positioned to address a significant and expanding market opportunity across environmental remediation, water treatment and industrial process monitoring."

At 1026 BST, shares in Metir were up 17.75% at 0.8p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.

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