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Abstracts

“Closed Loop PFAS Groundwater Treatment: Separation by Surface Active Foam Fractionation (SAFF®) and Destruction by Super Critical Water Oxidation (SCWO)” by Dr. Kent Sorenson (ER23-7939)

The overall objective of this project was to demonstrate a technology combination for complete on-site treatment and destruction of PFAS in groundwater. This presentation will showcase  Surface Active Foam Fractionation® (SAFF®)  a closed loop PFAS treatment of extracted groundwater that was recently demonstrated  at Wurtsmith Air Force Base as a cost-effective, on-site solution for PFAS remediation. SAFF® is an engineered system using air to concentrate dissolved PFAS into a low-volume, high-concentration liquid or “foamate.” SAFF® comprises two to three foam fractionation stages in series to minimize the volume of waste, thereby minimizing the energy required for destruction. The PFAS Annihilator® Super Critical Water Oxidation (SCWO) system is then used to destroy PFAS via high temperatures and pressures that break the carbon-fluorine bonds in PFAS, resulting in benign residues of carbon dioxide and fluoride. SCWO can destroy both short- and long-chain PFAS with very short (<10 second) residence times. After PFAS destruction, water was recycled to SAFF such that the output was PFAS-free effluent with no PFAS waste by-product.

“Destruction of PFAS Wastes with AirSCWO™ in a Centralized Destruction Approach”” by Dr. Craig Divine (ER23-8398)

Destruction by Super Critical Water Oxidation (SCWO) is a scalable and proven destruction technology for numerous compounds and waste types. During application of SCWO, water is heated and pressurized beyond its critical point, where it acts as a unique solvent and will completely mineralize organic wastes, including PFAS, into harmless byproducts like water, carbon dioxide, and inorganic salts  Arcadis teamed with 374Water to demonstrate this approach, utilizing their AirSCWO™ technology to treat a variety of PFAS-containing wastes, including foam fractionate, regenerative media distillates, legacy AFFF, spent ion exchange media, and spent granular activated carbon (GAC). Destruction and removal efficiencies (DREs) were very high for all waste types, ranging from 99.93 to 99.9999%. This presentation will summarize key performance data and consumptive energy use and discuss considerations and recommendations for broader application by the DoW for PFAS waste treatment.

Speaker Biographies

Dr. Kent Sorenson is the Chief Technology Officer at Allonnia in Boston, Massachusetts. He is a globally recognized expert in innovative technologies, with over 30 years of experience addressing environmental challenges in treatment and mineral processing across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. His work has earned numerous accolades, including the 2020 Henry L. Michel Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers for Industry Advancement of Research. Prior to Allonnia, Kent spent 20 years in environmental consulting and 7 years at the Idaho National Laboratory. Kent earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Tulane University, a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from MIT, and a doctoral degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Idaho.

Dr. Craig Divine is a National Technical Expert and Senior Vice President at Arcadis. He has 30 years of experience characterizing and remediating PFAS, chlorinated solvents, metals, and petroleum hydrocarbons utilizing a wide range of technologies, including in situ bioremediation, chemical oxidation, air sparging, cosolvent flushing, soil mixing, and dynamic groundwater recirculation. He has co-authored about 75 scientific papers on these topics and is an Associate Editor two journals, Groundwater Monitoring & Remediation and Remediation Journal. Craig has developed numerous innovative technologies. He received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Wheaton College, a master’s degree in watershed science from Colorado State University, and a doctoral degree in geochemistry and hydrogeology from the Colorado School of Mines.