PFAS Remediation Solutions for Soil and Groundwater
Understanding PFAS remediation
Award-winning
PFAS treatment solutions
80+
PFAS sites treated
9
Countries with projects
In place
Ground water treated
Zero
PFAS waste generated
"What PFAS remediation solutions are available for treating soil and groundwater?"
PFAS remediation solutions are used to reduce PFAS mobility, control plume migration, and limit exposure risk. There are two commonly used ways to treat PFAS-impacted groundwater. Current field-implemented groundwater approaches include pump-and-treat systems and in situ sorption with PlumeStop® colloidal activated carbon.
Pump-and-treat extracts PFAS-impacted groundwater for aboveground treatment, while PlumeStop is injected directly into the aquifer to retain PFAS below ground and reduce downgradient exposure risk.
For PFAS-impacted soil and source areas, remedies may include excavation, capping, stabilization, or in situ amendments such as SourceStop that reduce PFAS leaching to groundwater.
"How can you know PlumeStop is working?"
PlumeStop has been used for PFAS groundwater remediation since 2016, with field applications across multiple countries and documented reductions of PFAS concentrations below detection limits at full-scale sites.
In-situ CAC vs. Pump-and-Treat: Side-by-Side Comparisons
Study takeaways
- CAC barrier: $7.2M over 30 years vs. pump-and-treat: $19.0M
- Passive in situ approach with no routine O&M
- No extracted groundwater or spent GAC waste stream
- Designed around PFAS mass flux and barrier longevity
- Pump-and-treat alone was not projected to meet cleanup targets within 100 years
Study takeaways
- 98% fewer GHG emissions than pump-and-treat over 15 years
- 95% reduction in waste and raw material usage
- Total cost of ownership: $1.6M for CAC vs. $4.1M for pump-and-treat
- Sustainability score: 84 for CAC vs. 43 for pump-and-treat
- Passive in situ design avoided continuous pumping, recurring GAC replacement, and PFAS waste generation
Study takeaways
- PlumeStop CAC has been used since 2016
- More than 50 field installations across 9 countries
- Typical CAC emplacement can increase PFAS retention by orders of magnitude
- Modeling supports multidecadal to century-scale barrier performance
- Key design factors include mass flux, competitive sorption, matrix mass, and monitoring well placement
What are the Limitations of Pump-and Treat for PFAS Remediation?
Pump-and-treat can be useful for hydraulic containment, but PFAS plumes often require decades of pumping, continuous energy input, routine system maintenance, and recurring management of PFAS-impacted treatment media. Because PFAS can remain stored in aquifer materials and continue re-equilibrating into groundwater, pump-and-treat may control migration without fully restoring the aquifer in practical timeframes.
PlumeStop and SourceStop offer a different pathway: PFAS are retained within the aquifer, groundwater continues to flow naturally, and the need for long-term pumping and recurring spent-media waste generation can be avoided.
DoD Success: PFAS Effectively Remediated at Naval Air Station Alameda
PFAS contamination is so widespread that a sustainable solution has be used to avoid remediation activities adding to atmospheric greenhouse gases. REGENESIS’ in situ solutions are the most sustainable approach for PFAS remediation. But don’t just take our word for it, we asked Ramboll to carry out a comprehensive sustainability study and the results speak for themselves.
Study takeaways:
- 720-ft permeable adsorptive barrier installed for PFAS plume control
- Designed for a 15-year service life using flux-based modeling
- Variable CAC dosing applied based on PFAS mass loading
- Monitoring showed greater than 99% PFOS/PFOA reductions
- Passive in situ approach designed to protect Oakland Inner Harbor ecosystems
How is in situ remediation using PlumeStop and SourceStop applied?
4 key areas of the PFAS source-plume system can be treated in combination or isolation, depending on your site needs.
Soil: vadose zone
- Reduce leachability of contamination in soil
- Prevent discharge to groundwater
Soil: capillary fringe
- Adsorb contamination in the air-water interface
- Prevent discharge to groundwater
Groundwater: source
- Remove high PFAS levels from groundwater by adsorption
- Allow downgradient plume to attenuate
Groundwater: plume
- Remove mobile PFAS from groundwater by adsorption
- Prevent offsite migration and protect downgradient receptors
Sustainability
PFAS contamination is so widespread that a sustainable solution has be used to avoid remediation activities adding to atmospheric greenhouse gases. REGENESIS’ in situ solutions are the most sustainable approach for PFAS remediation. But don’t just take our word for it, we asked Ramboll to carry out a comprehensive sustainability study and the results speak for themselves.
1 Sustainability of in situ and ex situ remediation of PFAS contaminated groundwater (02.05.2023); Ramboll (Circular Solutions and Climate Specialist team); using ‘cradle to grave’ carbon footprint analysis, full product-level Life Cycle Analysis, Life Cycle Cost Analysis and Sustainability assessment using Ramboll’s SURE model (Tier 2 assessment in line with ISO, ASTM standards and SuRF-UK guidance)
PFAS treatment benefits
Applying SourceStop® with a blend of amendments can effectively mitigate PFAS-impacted soils from leaching contamination, minimizing impacts. while also enhancing attenuation of the downgradient plume to below actionable levels.
While the PFAS plume attenuates, offsite liability can be immediately removed and downgradient receptors protected through groundwater treatment using a PlumeStop® permeable reactive barrier. The PlumeStop barrier can also be provided with a warranty to guarantee performance.
