Pulling apart PFAS with OLEOLOGY

Australian innovators OLEOLOGY have achieved many successes, including reducing PFAS contaminants to below-detectable levels.

PFAS – per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances – are a group of over 6000 human-made organofluorine compounds that have been heavily used in household and industrial applications since the 1930s.

Also known as ‘forever chemicals’ due to their persistence in the environment and human tissue, PFAS contain one or more carbon atoms whose carbon-hydrogen bonds are replaced by carbon-fluorine bonds. The carbon-fluorine bonds are the shortest and strongest chemical bonds, thus their chemical reactive stability and persistency.

Like plastic, PFAS’ strength and versatility have proved extremely valuable to industry and manufacturing.

Unlike plastic, PFAS chemicals are powerful endocrine disruptors that have long-term impacts on human health and the environment.

In recent years, experts in the waste, water, and remediation sectors have widely discussed the problem of PFAS. However, according to OLEOLOGY Director Paul Callaghan, the level of risk associated with these forever chemicals has yet to be widely understood.

“PFAS is used in just about every industry. It’s a fascinating product that was developed in the 1930s by accident. What makes PFAS chemicals so unique is that they have a double bond, the strongest atomic bond known to humankind,” Paul said. “That double bond, which gives it all its great properties in terms of industry application, also makes it extremely difficult to remove.”

Paul said PFAS contamination moved at such a rate that it created a plume—a mixture of waste chemicals, leachate, and groundwater.

“The affected zones had moved with a relatively high level of groundwater, and as a result, when the grasses, trees and other natural life took their nutrients from the ground, they also took in PFAS contamination,” he said. “Those life forms, be it plants or vegetables, grow and are harvested. We then eat them, or livestock eats them, which goes into their system. And following the food cycle, we eat the livestock and take in that contamination.”

An allium approach to PFAS removal

Since its accidental entry into the complex world of PFAS, OLEOLOGY has developed an internationally recognised technology capable of removing PFAS from water to achieve non-detectable levels. The treatment system incorporates the MyCelx technology, which binds to PFAS compounds to permanently remove them from water.

The system can also remove all testable PFAS analytes in one-fifth of the footprint of traditional methods. It dramatically reduces waste volumes, thermally oxidising dry waste to five per cent of its original mass. This, in turn, significantly reduces waste transport and disposal costs. The system produces, on average, just one pallet of waste each year.

Conventional methods of PFAS removal, such as GAC and IX, remove PFAS, oil and hydrocarbons from water by mechanical separation or in combination with chemical injection. Paul said this approach requires a long sequence of steps and is prone to system failures and bottlenecks. Conversely, the MyCelx technology doesn’t just mechanically filter or separate PFAS, oil, or heavy metals but permanently binds with the contaminants through molecular cohesion. Once the pollutants come in contact with MyCelx, they cannot be released back into the water.

“MyCelx filtering media cartridges are hydrophobic – after filtering PFAS from the water, the cartridges are safely handled, stored and transported as dry waste, preferably disposed of by thermal destruction with no lingering or contingent liability associated with burial,” Paul said. “When using conventional contaminant removal equipment, which can cost millions of dollars in larger facilities, the media will be saturated in a couple of hours when dealing with PFAS, as the contaminants all build up and block conventional systems,” Paul said.

Paul compared OLEOLOGY’s filtration sequence process to the layers of an onion in that PFAS contaminants are the smallest volume at the centre of the onion. As such, the larger outer layers must be sequentially removed before effectively ridding water of PFAS contamination. OLEOLOGY’s MyCelx filter removes oily emulsions and suspended solids first, then semi-soluble organics, before removing dissolved metals and other organics. The last stage of the one-stop-shop filtration attacks PFAS, resulting in water free of contaminants.

A sustainable partnership

When Paul reflects on the ecological, social, and human health implications of PFAS, he could be mistaken for a dyed-in-the-wool environmental activist. That said, he stresses that PFAS can be dealt with economically.

“We need to bridge the gap between environmental regulation, which is incredibly important, community expectation and the expectation of shareholders,” he said. “Whether we’re dealing with wastewater treatment operators or industrial clients, at their core, they’re looking for the most efficient way to clean discharge or groundwater to provide value for their shareholders.”

While some might perceive a conflict between economic and environmental drivers, Paul explains that OLEOLOGY works to provide a harmonious solution.

“The last thing we want to see in Australia is more industry closing down. So OLEOLOGY operates at the intersection of those two ideas,” Paul said. “There is a viable option that keeps people employed, keeps the industry going, delivers dividend profits to shareholders and ensures community and environmental expectations are met. We’re committed to guaranteeing both sides of the table get what they want.”

For more information, visit https://oleology.com.au/