Study examines remediation at a site that began in the 1990s, with groundwater monitoring since 2000, including measuring for PFAS and PFOS since 2015.
About half of all sewage waste in the U.S. is treated and converted to biosolids, a further half of which is used as fertilizer after additional processing.
In a paper published in the journal Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, scientists showed how PFAS can leach out of fertilizer made from recycled waste with the help of microbial decomposition.
Even though PFAS levels are low, discussions around regulations which would prevent the use of biosolids on crops are taking place to prevent further accumulation.
Rather than labelling all biosolids as contaminated PFAS waste, the government’s new plan should ideally lay out ways to minimize damage done by forever chemicals in biosolids.
Thermally remediating soil contaminated with PFAS has the potential to be an effective solution. TerraTherm has performed detailed lab studies to understand the removal mechanisms and developed a treatment method that mineralizes and removes nearly 100% of target and non-target PFAS compounds from the vapor discharge.
Today’s actions represent a significant milestone for the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitments to combat PFAS pollution and safeguard drinking water.
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services will provide a one-time rebate to private well users for up to $5,000 for the installation of PFAS treatment or up to $10,000 for a service connection to a public water system.
The primary PFAS detected were disubstituted polyfluoroalkyl phosphates (diPAPs) -- compounds that can convert to more stable PFAS such as perfluorooctanoic acid, which is potentially carcinogenic.
After months of litigation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has yet to produce any documents revealing the scientific basis for the “working definition” the agency currently uses for regulatory purposes.