Managing and treating per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in membrane concentrates

Abstract

Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are present in many waters, have detrimental impacts on human health and the environment. Reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) have shown excellent PFAS separation performance in water treatment; however, these membrane systems do not destroy PFAS but produce concentrated residual streams that need to be managed. Complete destruction of PFAS in RO and NF concentrate streams is ideal, but long-term sequestration strategies are also employed. Because no single technology is adequate for all situations, a range of processes are reviewed here that hold promise as components of treatment schemes for PFAS-laden membrane system concentrates. Attention is also given to relevant

Pilot-Scale Continuous Foam Fractionation for the Removal of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) from Landfill Leachate

“…Leachate water is a particularly complex matrix to treat, requiring extensive pretreatment before conventional PFAS treatment, such as GAC, ion exchange, or membrane filtration, can be applied successfully . These matrix effects are less problematic in the case of foam fractionation due to a beneficial effect of high ionic strength on the process performance and no risks of clogging or fouling of filter or membrane materials. ,, Hence, foam fractionation has received increasing attention as a successful technology for PFAS removal from landfill leachate. ,, However, its applicability is not limited to leachate water but extends to PFAS-contaminated groundwater, process water, and wastewater. ,,,, …”

Towards improved characterization of the fate and impact of hydraulic fracturing chemicals to better secure regional water quality

“…In order to prevent further environmental pollution, careful disposal and treatment schemes are definitely required to manage the membrane concentrates. 40…”

“…In order to prevent further environmental pollution, careful disposal and treatment schemes are denitely required to manage the membrane concentrates. 40 Adsorption is a practical approach to remove various organic contaminants from HF wastewater. 41 Activated carbon (AC) is the most common sorbent in adsorbent based systems, and these have been applied to successfully remove polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from HF wastewater, but no satisfactory removal was obtained for phthalates under the same conditions.…”

PFAS are forever? The state of the science and research needs for analyzing and treating PFAS‐laden water

“…Therefore, there is a need to develop treatment technologies that can treat waste streams to prevent environmental and potential human exposure, possibly at geographically distant locations. In this topical collection, Tow et al (2021) review a wide range of possible destruction, concentration, and sequestration strategies for the treatment of RO and NF concentrate streams. Cost issues are paramount, given the costs of both the initial membrane separation of PFAS and any subsequent concentrate management strategy.…”