Understanding Gasification for PFAS Removal
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Associated Project
Project 5107: Understanding Gasification for PFAS RemovalGasification or pyrolysis, followed by thermal oxidation, are thermochemical processes used for the removal/destruction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from biosolids. This method is one of three approaches identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other researchers for PFAS mitigation. The other two approaches include supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) and plasma gasification.
Gasification and pyrolysis technologies require dried material (typically greater than 75% total solids [TS]). The resulting products from these methods include biochar or inert material. PFAS can still be present in these biosolid byproducts with perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) or perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) concentrations up to 50 parts per billion (ppb) even after implementing a PFAS industrial pretreatment program (IPP).
Although PFAS regulations do not exist for practicing beneficial biosolids use (e.g., land application), the EPA’s Draft Risk Assessment indicates that values of 1 ppb for either PFOS or PFOA compounds can lead to human health risk. Thus, methods for further removal or destruction of PFAS may be necessary pending future regulations.
The Water Research Foundation (WRF) research on Understanding Gasification for PFAS Removal (5107) focuses on closing a prudent knowledge gap related to the effect of full-scale gasification and pyrolysis technologies processing municipal solids and thermal oxidation of the produced syngas and its impact on PFAS mitigation.
During this webcast our presenter will share the results of this published research. The objective of project 5107 research was to comprehensively study the performance and feasibility of a full-scale thermal drying and gasification facility to process municipal sludges as the feedstock, with a focus on its ability to remove or destroy PFAS. This is the first study that measured PFAS terminal products in the air of a full-scale operating gasification facility processing municipal solids. The results presented, although specific to the tested solids and gasification technology, offer one data point from a full-scale facility.
Attendees can be expected to:
- Gain a better understanding of the commercially available gasification and pyrolysis systems in the United States.
- Understand detailed process flow diagrams of a gasification system including thermal drying, gasification, thermal oxidation, and air treatment.
- Compare these full-scale study results to previous limited studies on full-scale and bench-scale studies.
- Realize the effect of process temperature for PFAS removal and end-product quality.
- Comprehend the fate of PFAS in thermal drying, and the effect of air treatment for PFAS.
- Learn how to increase total measurable PFAS removal efficiency to more than 99%.
- Get a sense of the energy balance of these facilities.
Presenter:
Mohammed (Mo) Abu-Orf, PhD
Vice President & Residuals Group Practice Leader
Hazen and Sawyer
Moderator:
Lola Olabode, MPH, BCES
Research Principal
The Water Research Foundation