Wastewater treatment is in hot water over PFAS. How can new technology turn the tide on these persistent pollutants?
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are the house guests that never leave. Found in everything from firefighting foams to non-stick cookware, these “forever chemicals” refuse to break down, contaminating water sources worldwide.
Australia is no exception, with rising concerns over PFAS levels in landfill leachate, wastewater, and industrial discharge.
Traditional treatment methods often fall short, leaving the waste management industry searching for practical solutions.
One company making waves in this space is ECT2. Its NanoSORB Membrane Bioreactor System combines advanced filtration with biological treatment, promising a more effective way to remove PFAS from contaminated water.
But how does it perform in the real world?
A real-world test
A Michigan industrial facility faced a significant PFAS challenge. Historical site activities had led to groundwater contamination, with perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) concentrations averaging 1650 nanograms per litre (ng/L), far exceeding the local publicly owned treatment works (POTW) discharge limit of 28 ng/L.
The facility required an effective solution to remediate the contaminated groundwater and comply with regulatory standards.
ECT2 deployed its FOAM-X foam fractionation technology to address the contamination. The system uses air injection to generate a foam layer that captures and concentrates PFAS from the water.
A two-stage foam fractionation strategy was implemented to simulate full-scale continuous flow treatment.
Darrin Stoker, Senior Business Development Manager, says the FOAM-X system demonstrated remarkable efficiency, reducing PFOS concentrations to non-detect levels – an over 99.8 per cent reduction by mass.
This level of treatment not only met, but surpassed, regulatory requirements, ensuring the facility could safely discharge treated water.
In addition to high removal efficiency, FOAM-X proved effective in concentrating PFOS within the generated foam layer. The process achieved an average concentration factor of 1300 times, reducing the volume of PFAS-laden waste requiring further handling.
Darrin says this represents a key advantage over traditional treatment methods, which often produce large quantities of secondary waste that require costly disposal or incineration.
“By concentrating the contamination into a smaller volume, the facility could streamline subsequent treatment, lowering operational costs and environmental impact while improving long-term sustainability in PFAS remediation.”
To further enhance the treatment process, ECT2 collaborated with Enspired Solutions, integrating ITS PFASigator technology for the on-site destruction of the concentrated PFAS in the foam layer. This system employs photo-activated reductive defluorination (PRD) to break down PFAS compounds safely and cost-effectively.
“The combined approach successfully destroyed more than 99.7 per cent of the PFOS mass, preventing it from re-entering the environment,” Darrin says. “Crucially, this integrated process resulted in a zero-waste outcome, eliminating the need for further disposal.”
Australia’s waste management industry is at a crossroads when it comes to PFAS. Government agencies and environmental bodies continue to refine PFAS regulations, increasing pressure on landfill operators, wastewater treatment facilities, and industrial sites to implement effective removal strategies.
However, Darrin says many existing treatment methods either fail to remove PFAS altogether or generate secondary waste that still requires disposal.
“NanoSORB offers a different approach. Integrating biological treatment with adsorptive processes enhances PFAS removal while reducing other contaminants such as total organic carbon (TOC) and chemical oxygen demand (COD),” he says.
“This dual-action capability is desirable for Australian facilities managing complex wastewater streams. Moreover, its compact design and high removal efficiency mean that facilities with space constraints, such as municipal treatment plants or landfill leachate systems, can implement the technology without major infrastructure overhauls.”
PFAS contamination isn’t going away anytime soon. The waste management industry must stay ahead of regulatory changes and public concerns by adopting proven, scalable solutions.
Darrin says case studies such as the Michigan industrial facility project demonstrate that advanced PFAS treatment is not just possible but practical.
For Australian operators, the challenge now is finding the right approach.
“Whether it’s FOAM-X, NanoSORB, or another emerging technology, the goal is the same: cleaner water, better compliance, and a sustainable way to manage PFAS for the long term.”
For more information, visit: www.ect2.com
