Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are being detected in more products and increasingly showing up in water systems across the world. According to a U.S. Geological Survey study, 71-95 million Americans in the contiguous United States—approximately 25% of the population- may rely on groundwater that contains detectable levels of PFAS. Once PFAS reaches a drinking water plant, treatment costs spike, but there are ways to stop the contaminants from ever making it that far. Getting ahead, or swimming upstream, can significantly lower municipalities’ costs and reduce their exposure to the community.
PFAS are used in a wide variety of products, from nonstick cookware to food packaging because of their ability to resist water, grease and heat. However, those same qualities make these substances difficult to break down and, in turn, harder to remove from our water supply. What’s more, the Environmental Working Group has identified PFAS in more than 600 species of wildlife around the world.
When contamination is detected, many municipalities find themselves making immediate infrastructure decisions under pressure. Similar to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Pretreatment Program, swimming upstream can reduce the cost and complexity of PFAS treatment by treating at the source before they are discharged into either surface water or become part of wastewater discharge that eventually reaches a drinking water treatment plant.
Upstream treatment means lower volumes of water and higher concentrations of PFAS. That makes treatment more efficient by using smaller, cost-effective equipment. It’s the difference between treating 200 gallons per minute from an industrial site versus treating 10,000 gallons per minute at a municipal drinking water plant.
In some cases, this also creates an opportunity to isolate the cost of containment removal at the source rather than paying a much higher cost for the overall combined flow rate, which is often transferred to local ratepayers.
Veolia has developed a wide range of treatment technologies that can be tailored to specific situations and budgets. When treating the problem upstream, strategies generally fall into three categories: simple, moderate and complex.
Three levels of treatment
The most common PFAS treatments are carbon absorption, ion exchange, reverse osmosis and nanofiltration. The simplest level of treatment occurs when PFAS contamination is found at low levels and with minimal co-contaminants. These cases are well-suited for treatment like granular activated carbon (GAC), which is used in Veolia’s LEAPfas™, or powered activated carbon (PAC), which is used in Veolia’s Actiflo® Carb technology.
One example of simple treatment was when the Borough of Bellmawr, New Jersey, discovered PFAS in its well system. The borough turned to Veolia to identify an interim solution while a long-term treatment plan was developed. Working within the site’s space constraints, Veolia installed a containerized treatment system that didn’t require a building and rapidly applied ion exchange resin. The system helped Bellmawr meet anticipated PFAS regulations ahead of schedule, giving it time to prepare a permanent solution without rushing the process.
Higher concentrations of co-contaminants, like suspended solids and organics found in surface water streams, present more complexity. These situations often require more equipment to remove PFAS. PFAS treatment at this stage could include a combination of technologies and innovative strategies to provide pretreatment for the PFAS separation, allowing facilities to optimize overall capital and operating expenditures.
Sites with high PFAS concentrations and significant co-contaminants, such as refineries, chemical plants or landfills, represent the most complex treatment scenarios. These locations often have unique, site-specific contaminants, including organics, suspended solids, oils or heavy metals that are best removed prior to PFAS treatment. Failure to remove these co-contaminants often adversely affects the performance and cost to operate the PFAS treatment technology.
Many refineries, for example, store aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) that contain PFAS on-site for fire mitigation purposes. Once these chemicals are used to fight fires or train personnel, they can enter groundwater and mix with other pollutants in soil and stormwater, making PFAS treatment much more resource-intensive.
Veolia designs advanced, full-scale treatment systems for these types of complex cases. These systems are built to manage a wide range of pollutants before they can enter broader water systems. While the initial investment is higher, treating PFAS at the source can prevent much larger environmental impacts and reduce long-term remediation costs downstream.
How Veolia helps
Whether a community is responding to a new contamination event or planning to meet future regulatory limits, Veolia can develop the right PFAS remediation strategy. Our BeyondPFAS platform is an end-to-end suite of solutions that creates a safer, cleaner future. From temporary systems to full-scale treatment plants, our experts guide every step of the process, including detection, pilot testing, technology selection, installation, maintenance and final disposal.
Veolia offers the scale, expertise and responsiveness to help match any PFAS challenge. Creating this kind of ecological transformation aligns with Veolia’s GreenUp strategy to depollute, decarbonize and regenerate our resources. If your community is exploring options, reach out to our experts, who can help you move forward financially and responsibly.
For more information on our PFAS solutions and to read our full technical disclaimer, visit https://www.veoliawatertechnologies.com/en/pfas
Author | John Peichel
Global PFAS Growth Initiative Leader, Veolia Water Tech
