Theme: 07. Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS)

Topic Area: 7q. Managing PFAS at Publicly-Owned Treatment Works (POTWs)

Formatted Title:

Managing PFAS Waste Streams: Full-Scale SCWO Operation and Safe Discharge to POTWs

Background/Objectives:

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have emerged as significant environmental concerns due to their persistent nature and potential health risks. Landfill leachate often contains elevated levels of PFAS, necessitating effective separation, concentration, and destruction methods. Industry estimates show that up to 8 billion gallons of landfill leachate per year may be impacted by PFAS. This presentation explores the commercial field application of foam fractionation and supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) as proven methods for destroying PFAS in landfill leachate.

This presentation focuses on the co-application of foam fractionation and supercritical water oxidation (SCWO), both proven methods, to concentrate and destroy PFAS from diverse waste streams. SCWO, harnessing elevated temperature and pressure, is a powerful tool for the destruction of PFAS from contaminated wastewater, landfill leachate, and aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), rendering them non-detect, with PFAS-free water as the end product.

Approach/Activities:

The focal point of this presentation centers on the real-world experiences of a fully permitted and operational commercial SCWO unit. The presentation will provide insights backed by analytical data from the treatment of PFAS concentrate originating from raw leachate and industrial wastewater pre-treated with foam fractionation. In addition, we will cover the process of treating AFFF concentrate and rinsate derived from foam transition projects. A critical aspect to be covered is the advantages of the combined concentration and destruction approach, encompassing design specifications, operational parameters, and the field results from full-scale implementation. Attendees will be shown the prerequisites for field deployment and the steps required to ensure air and water discharge requirements regulatory compliance.

Results/Lessons Learned:

The presentation will focus on the following learning objectives:

Understanding of the capabilities and commercial readiness of foam fractionation and supercritical water oxidation in treating waste streams impacted by PFAS.
Strategies for working with state and municipal regulatory partners to ensure regulatory compliance.
Lessons learned in the deployment, commissioning, and ongoing operation and optimization at landfills.

The presentation will also delve into the crucial step of discharging treated effluent to publicly owned treatment works (POTW). Attendees will gain insights into the processes, regulations, and challenges associated with transferring treated water from PFAS-contaminated sources to municipal wastewater treatment facilities. The discussion will encompass strategies for ensuring the compatibility of the effluent with POTW requirements, highlighting the importance of close collaboration with regulatory bodies and local utilities to achieve successful discharge of treated water within regulatory limits. The presentation will show analytical results for various analytical methods, including 1633 and mass balance utilizing total organic fluorine (TOF) and non-target analysis for measuring complete mineralization.

Rick Gillespie

Affiliation

Biography

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(Group 2, Poster Board #263) Managing PFAS Waste Streams: Full-Scale SCWO Operation and Safe Discharge to POTWs