Treatment of PFAS

Studies have indicated that PFAS poses potential threats to human health. According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a division of the Center for Disease Control (CDC), PFAS can have negative effects on fetal and child development, adult hormones and fertility, high cholesterol, in addition to posing other health risks.

As a result, the US EPA has now started requiring the monitoring of drinking water and set lifetime drinking water advisory levels at 70 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and PFOS. The EPA has also indicated that they will set screening levels and site-specific cleanup levels at Superfund sites, which will be used to determine if long-term groundwater remediation or soil remediation is needed.

To date, the use of traditional means of groundwater remediation of PFAS plumes has proven difficult. Because they are extremely robust compounds, remediation technologies such as in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) and various forms of bioremediation have been unable to address these contaminants. The most prevalent method at this time is to use an ex situ pump and treat system with activated carbon filters. However, this process can prove very expensive and challenging due to the extremely wide-area, dilute formation of the most common PFAS plumes.

REGENESIS has developed an in situ remediation product called PlumeStop® Liquid Activated Carbon™ that has the potential to solve the challenges faced in the groundwater remediation of PFAS. This technology can be applied under low-pressure injection, which solves the problem of excessive costs incurred with pump and treat systems. Through the use of a proprietary organic polymer dispersion chemistry, the activated carbon achieves high distribution through the subsurface and removes contaminants like PFAS rapidly from groundwater.

This article published in Wiley’s Remediation Journal reviews six pilot-scale in situ field studies of an unconfined sand aquifer impacted by both petroleum hydrocarbons and PFAS to determine if a variety of reagents could be used to attenuate the dissolved PFAS. The reagents were injected using direct push technology, and consisted of two chemical oxidants and four adsorbents. Performance results gathered downgradient of six permeable reactive zones 18-months post application are provided. The only reagent out of the six that reduced PFAS to below detection limits *and* prevented contaminant breakthrough was PlumeStop colloidal activated carbon.

This article published in Wiley’s Remediation Journal uses various visualization and modeling methods to evaluate the in-situ remediation of PFAS via colloidal activated carbon (CAC) at a site in Central Canada. A three-dimensional reactive transport model (ISR-MT3DMS) was used to indicate that the CAC remedy implemented at the site is likely to be effective for PFOS remediation for decades. The research article concludes that due to the relatively low cost to implement the CAC, and the ability to adapt the remedy in the future, this remediation approach may be viable at other PFAS sites.

In this webinar we are pleased to have a special guest presentation by Virginia (Ginny) Yingling, Senior Hydrogeologist in the Environmental Health Division of the Minnesota Department of Health. Ginny discusses PFAS contamination in Minnesota, including lessons learned from the state’s investigation of a chemical production facility, contaminant fate and transport, and reducing exposure. She is joined by Kristen Thoreson, PhD, Director of Research and Development at REGENESIS, who presents case studies of low-cost in situ remediation of PFAS using colloidal activated carbon.

In this webinar we are pleased to have a special presentation by Scott Wilson, President & CEO of REGENESIS. In this presentation he discusses eliminating risk of PFAS contamination in soil and groundwater via low-cost in situ remediation with colloidal activated carbon. By coating flux zones of an aquifer with colloidal activated carbon, a permeable sorption barrier is created in situ, purifying groundwater as it passively migrates.

This ebook outlines 8 reasons to consider colloidal activated carbon to treat PFAS contaminated military sites. The most prevalent method to treat PFAS is an ex situ pump and treat system with activated carbon filters. But this process is challenged by the wide-area and dilute nature of PFAS plumes. Additionally, pump and treat system’s high operating costs can make it impractical for organizations operating within tightly controlled budgets. Recognizing these challenges, REGENESIS® offers an alternative to traditional remedial technologies, working with clients to apply PlumeStop®, a colloidal suspension of activated carbon particles milled down to 1-2 microns formulated to widely distribute in situ under low pressure.

PlumeStop, a colloidal activated carbon remediation technology from REGENESIS, was recently featured in the Dayton Daily News because of its ability to eliminate risk from PFAS contaminants in groundwater at a low cost compared to other currently available treatment methods. Because PFAS is a growing concern for communities trying to protect public health, PlumeStop is increasingly being applied to halt the spread of PFAS plumes and quickly remove risk. This article written by Ismail Turay Jr. is republished courtesy of the Dayton Daily News.