Topic Area: 4b. Innovative Treatment Technologies for PFAS Ex Situ

Formatted Title:

Lessons Learned from the Testing, Design, and Installation of the First Foam-Fractionation + Electrochemical Oxidation Treatment System for PFAS Destruction in Metal Finishing Wastewater

Background/Objectives:

The use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) was once a mandate for vapor suppression in many metal plating and finishing facilities. Although such use has been discontinued for well over a decade, many metal finishing facilities continue to struggle with residual PFAS compounds in their process and wastewater streams. Faced with the need to provide effective treatment and also reduce operating cost, a metal plating and finishing operation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, began work to evaluate and select an onsite treatment and destruction system to address PFAS at several of its existing facilities.

Approach/Activities:

Tasked with the need to develop an effective way to remove PFAS from its wastewater stream the team successfully developed its own in-house foam-fractionation process capable of achieving the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy (EGLE) discharge limits for PFAS (<=16 ppt) and PFOA (<=7 ppt). Concentrated foamate from the foam-fractionation process was then passed to an electrochemical oxidation process for on-site PFAS destruction. Pilot testing of the combined process was completed in early 2024 and confirmed that electrochemical oxidation process could easily achieve 3-log to 5-log destruction of both long and short chain PFAS compounds from influent concentrations as high as 73 mg/L.

Grace Lee

Affiliation

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(Group 1, Poster Board #11) Lessons Learned from the Testing, Design, and Installation of the First Foam-Fractionation + Electrochemical Oxidation Treatment System for PFAS Destruction in Metal Finishing Wastewater