New technology is the first of its kind for removing PFAS in groundwater
TRC Companies, Inc. (TRC), a global professional services firm providing integrated strategy, consulting, engineering and applied technologies in support of the energy transition, has been recognized by Environmental Business Journal (EBJ), for a novel technology known as “ART-PFAS” co-invented by TRC’s Nidal Rabah, PhD and Accelerated Remediation Technologies, Inc. (ART) (patent pending).
ART-PFAS is a green, cost-effective and efficient technology that can concurrently remediate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – known as PFAS –and volatile organic compounds impacts in groundwater and soil in the saturated zone and capillary fringe. ART-PFAS (owned by ART) is the only proven active in-situ alternative to pump-and-treat to remediate PFAS-impacted groundwater.
“We are honored to be recognized by EBJ for this groundbreaking technology,” said Christopher Vincze, Chairman and CEO of TRC. “This technology has the promise of helping solve one of the greatest challenges of removing man-made chemicals from groundwater in a cost-effective way. Nidal and the team at ART are creating new pathways for our clients and our communities, making the Earth a better place to live.”
ART-PFAS is designed to remove PFAS through in-well groundwater circulation and foam fractionation/ stripping using air sparging/soil vapor extraction (AS/SVE) systems. Groundwater circulation enhances soil flushing across the water table and the capillary fringe. The technology can be installed as stand-alone or integrated into existing AS/SVE systems while achieving extremely stringent cleanup standards and minimizing waste, energy, treatment and compliance requirements for a fraction of the additional costs and efforts compared to pump-and-treat.
ART-PFAS was implemented at a site in New Jersey by retrofitting an existing AS/SVE system with an ART-PFAS well. Within a few months, PFAS concentrations in groundwater of 2,000-3,000 ng/L were reduced by 50 to 100 percent in the test well and up to 40 percent in a monitoring well. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) concentrations that ranged from over 400 to 1,000 ng/L were successfully reduced below EPA drinking water Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 4 ng/L.
PFAS concentrations in soil were reduced by 50 to 65 percent. PFAS was enriched by 100-300 times in the recovered foam (vs. groundwater), while generating only about 50 gallons of residual liquid after circulating over 500,000 gallons of groundwater (10,000 times less water volume vs. pump-and-treat for aboveground management).
The 2024 EBJ awards will be presented live and in-person at the EBJ Business Achievement Awards banquet at Environmental Industry Summit XXIII on April 2-4, 2025, in San Diego.
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