PFAS Soil Treatment Processes – A Review of Operating Ranges and Constraints

Report Nº 8/24: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a broad class of man-made chemicals, exceeding several thousands, which have been widely used in industrial and consumer applications since the 1940’s. Increasing public and regulatory concerns regarding PFAS in recent years have been driven by their mobility, persistence and, for some PFAS, bioaccumulation and toxicity, particularly in relation to human exposure via food and drinking water.

PFAS are also components in certain firefighting foams used, at least historically, at industrial and municipal facilities (including Concawe member assets) for flammable liquid fire suppression and firefighting training. Such use and associated releases may cause soil and groundwater impacts that require risk assessment and management action as well as generate other impacted materials and wastes, such as concrete.

The unique and diverse properties of PFAS represent complexity and challenges for traditional soil remediation technologies with the need to identify robust, cost effective and sustainable options which are acceptable to all stakeholders. A total of 13 treatment technologies have been systematically evaluated in this report. These include destructive, non-destructive and pathway management approaches and for each treatment technology, technical, operational and commercial factors as well current knowledge gaps have been taken into consideration. The evaluation was informed by a literature review of published scientific research and other documents as well as a vendor liaison process incorporating current implementation experience and results.