.jpg)
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), commonly referred to as "forever chemicals," are a family of man-made compounds prized for their durability and resistance to heat, water, and oil. These qualities have made them ubiquitous in products like non-stick cookware, stain-resistant fabrics, and firefighting foams. However, their resilience in the environment has led to widespread contamination concerns, earning PFAS notoriety as a significant environmental and public health challenge.
With the mounting recognition of PFAS' environmental and health risks, regulatory bodies worldwide are implementing stringent measures to curb their impact. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established action plans targeting PFAS detection, regulation, and mitigation. These efforts have placed solid waste facilities, particularly landfills, at the forefront of the PFAS battle.
Landfills serve as repositories for PFAS-laden waste from consumer products and industrial materials. Once in landfills, PFAS leach into groundwater or are discharged to wastewater treatment plants, creating an urgent need for effective solutions. Emerging regulations demand advanced treatment methods, often requiring costly investments in technology and infrastructure.
Traditional treatment methods often fall short in managing PFAS. Many techniques transfer the chemicals between phases (e.g., from water to sludge) rather than eliminating them. This approach leaves behind persistent risks of future contamination. Effective PFAS management requires a paradigm shift: scalable, cost-efficient solutions that concentrate and destroy PFAS at the source.
Aquagga is leading the charge in PFAS destruction with its innovative two-step process that integrates foam fractionation and the hydrothermal alkaline treatment (HALT) technology. This closed-loop system is designed specifically for challenging applications like landfill leachate, offering a game-changing approach to PFAS management.
Foam fractionation separates PFAS from landfill leachate by exploiting their surfactant properties. These compounds naturally accumulate at air-water interfaces, allowing the creation of foam to concentrate PFAS from large volumes of water. This method can achieve up to 1,000x reductions in volume, drastically simplifying downstream treatment.
Once concentrated, the PFAS-rich foam undergoes HALT, a chemical process that operates at high temperature and pH to break the carbon-fluorine bonds that make PFAS so persistent. The result is the complete destruction of PFAS molecules, converting them into harmless byproducts. This approach eliminates the risk of transferring PFAS to another phase, ensuring true destruction.
Aquagga’s system has been validated in a case study on landfill leachate in Vermont, where foam fractionation produced by Allonnia's SAFF-40® system was paired with Aquagga’s HALT technology.
- Over 99% total PFAS destruction was achieved, including the complete elimination of PFOA, PFNA, and PFDA.
- The closed-loop system minimized the environmental footprint and maximized cost efficiency.
- The complex fractionate, which contained high levels of Total Organic Carbon (TOC), alkalinity, turbidity, and other challenging constituents, was successfully treated, demonstrating the robustness of the HALT process.
For landfill operators and the solid waste industry, Aquagga’s approach delivers significant advantages:
