Cleaning up PFAS in the US with the LEEF System®

A demonstration-scale LEEF System® has successfully treated PFAS contamination at two US landfill sites. The technology is an innovative solution for the removal of PFAS in complex waste streams.

Delivered by the Water & Carbon Group (WCG) in partnership with trusted US firm Leachate Management Specialists (LMS) the demonstrations in Tennessee and Virginia were a huge success, showing that the LEEF System® can consistently remove target PFAS compounds to below the analytical limit of detection.

To show the exceptional capability of the system, WCG constructed a mobile demonstration-scale system of four fractionators housed in a shipping container that can be easily deployed to site.

WCG and LMS demonstrated the system at a Tennessee landfill site treating three diverse raw leachates and one reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC). The streams were highly co-contaminated with ammonia, total dissolved solids and chemical oxygen demand.

In addition to removing priority compounds, the Tennessee demonstration revealed the LEEF System® was able to deplete other PFAS that were initially present in the leachate streams.

There was similar success at a landfill site in Virginia. Here, there were five diverse leachates, including a reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC) stream, which were highly co-contaminated with nitrogen, total dissolved solids, chemical oxygen demand and alkalinity. The LEEF System® treated the five diverse leachates and ROC successfully, consistently removing PFAS compounds to below analytical limits of detection.

Other options available to treat PFAS-contaminated leachate typically require comprehensive and expensive pre-treatment. The LEEF System® takes advantage of the way PFAS substances attach to air bubbles to effectively skim off and remove the contaminants. The beauty of the LEEF System® is that it uses minimal energy, no chemicals, and no consumables. Using a foam fractionation technology, the system removes up to 100 per cent of targeted compounds in a short operating time.

The LEEF System® is modular and can be easily scaled to meet a facility’s needs. This flexibility allows the system to be customised to meet site-specific challenges for different leachate characteristics and flow.

Find out more about our PFAS capabilities here and contact us for a LEEF System® demonstration at your site.