Solid Waste Webinar Series
Treatment Frontiers for
Hosted by ESD and the
Michigan Waste & Recycling Association
Thursday, May 20, 2021
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Online via the Zoom Platform
Treatment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is a challenge, because many PFAS are long-lived or degrade only partially during conventional water treatment methods to form more recalcitrant PFAS. At many landfills, leachate is discharged to wastewater treatment plants or beneficially reused onsite. Given the limited ability of landfills to reduce PFAS concentrations through source control, treatment may be needed at some sites. This presentation will describe new frontiers in PFAS treatment technologies including granular activated carbon (GAC) design and operational considerations for PFAS, passive sequestration approaches, and innovative destructive technologies.
Lines of evidence can be used to assess the readiness of destructive PFAS treatment technologies and identify promising technologies. A case study of an innovative destructive approach will be presented. Silica-based granular media (SGM) was developed at the University of Missouri at Kansas City to fully degrade perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) from 50 milligrams per liter (mg/L) to non-detect concentrations after 30 minutes of contact time. The technology is UV-activated; data are consistent with a combined photocatalytic and nucleophilic destructive mechanism.
This media shows promise in cost-effectively degrading recalcitrant PFAS in high-strength or turbid wastewaters, aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), and other complex matrices such as landfill leachate. This research is currently being funded by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP).
Presented by:
Sam Baushke, Senior Engineer, Geosyntec Consultants, Inc., and
Hannah McIntyre, Graduate Researcher, University of Missouri, Kansas City
Cost Per Person:
$25 for ESD/MWRA members; $35 for non-members.
To Register:
Click here to register online. For more information, contact Leslie Smith, CMP, at lsmith@esd.org or 248-353-0735, ext. 152.
Additional Session in PFAS Series:
Other Upcoming Events
May 17, 18, 22, 24 & 25: Earning Your PE License Information Sessions
June 7, 8, 12, 14, 15, 21 & 22: Earning Your PE License Information Sessions
July: FE and PE Review Sessions Begin
July 12 – August 6: Girls in Engineering Academy Summer Program
July 10, 12 & 13: Earning Your PE License Information Sessions
November 4: Solid Waste Technical Conference
December 7: Engineers Get Hired Job Fair
Want to Support ESD?
Join today and help us work to strengthen the engineering profession in Michigan and foster and inspire the next generation of leaders and professionals.
To learn more about ESD membership, contact Heather Lilley at hlilley@esd.org or 248-353-0735, ext. 120.
