PFAS Removal and Remediation
Solutions to Remove PFAS from Drinking Water, Groundwater, and Soil
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) represent thousands of synthetic chemicals that repel water, oil, and grease. As a result, PFAS have been integrated into dozens of industry and consumer products over the past 60 years, making their presence rather ubiquitous throughout nature.
CETCO is tackling the issue.
What are PFAS?
Over the past 60 years, PFAS have been integrated into dozens of industrial and consumer products. PFAS have been used in common products, including non-stick cookware, clothing materials, carpets, firefighting foams (aqueous film forming foam - AFFF), and various other products designed to resist grease, water, and oil. PFAS have a strong carbon-fluorine chemical bonds that prevent their breakdown in nature and eventually allowing them to enter the water supply.
As a result, scientists have been studying the health impact of PFAS, concluding that exposure causes numerous health effects.
What is considered safe levels of PFAS?
The United States Environmental Protection (EPA) recently established PFAS screening values of 40 parts per trillion (ppt) and has proposed a Reasonable Progress Goal (RPG) of 70 ppt. Some states have set more rigorous Maximum Concentration Limits (MCLs) and many more are evaluating doing the same.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that "if your drinking water is contaminated above levels specified by the EPA or your state government, use an alternate water source for drinking, preparing food, cooking, brushing teeth, and any other activity when you might swallow water."
How to remove PFAS
To date, several products have been developed and used to filter PFAS, but they are limited by their high cost or short lifespan. Furthermore, their effectiveness can be affected by various factors, such as water chemistry, pH, or the presence of co-contaminants. Since PFAS can assume various forms (you'll see acronyms, including PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, and PFNA to name a few), the stated technology must be effective across the broad spectrum of PFAS. The search for a technology that is more predictable and robust has been a focus for CETCO.
FLUORO-SORB® adsorbent
FLUORO-SORB adsorbent is a proprietary, NSF-certified product that effectively treats multiple variants of PFAS. Unlike other sorbent products that are selective and unpredictable in adsorbing PFAS, FLUORO-SORB adsorbent binds the entire spectrum of PFAS efficiently and in a wide variety of removal and remediation processes. FLUORO-SORB adsorbent can control the source of contamination via a Permeable Reactive Barrier (PRB) or In Situ Stabilization and Solidification (ISS). It can be deployed easily as a flow through treatment media, either on its own or as a pre- or post-treatment in connection with your existing water treatment train, with an Empty Bed Contact Time (EBCT) as low as 3 minutes. FLUORO-SORB adsorbent can also be used in a CETCO REACTIVE CORE MAT composite geotextile mat for sediment capping.
FLUORO-SORB adsorbent resists competitive adsorption from other water and sediment contaminants. Due to its higher sorption kinetics and capacity, it has been proven to be 3-4 times more adsorptive than granular activated carbon (GAC), thereby reducing the number of changeouts requires for a positive impact on operational costs and lower disposal costs for spent media.
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CETCO is the leader and pioneer in cutting-edge environmental products and solutions. Around the globe, our innovative teams of clay mineralogists, chemists, and polymer scientists transform ordinary minerals into extraordinary technology to solve day-to-day problems worldwide.
