Cost-Effective, Sustainable Treatment Alternatives for PFAS-Impacted Soil

Increasing regulatory pressure and limitations on disposal of per and poly-fluoroalkyl (PFAS)-impacted soils has put stakeholders in a difficult position when determining options for treating and managing PFAS sources. Landfill acceptance criteria are becoming more restrictive, increasing cost as more significant transport to facilities can be required in certain geographies. In addition, concern about incomplete combustion by products and off-gas emissions has made many stakeholders reconsider incineration of PFAS-impacts soils. Hazardous substance designation under CERCLA has already impacted pricing and availability of landfills. Potential future hazardous waste classification under RCRA will further restrict options and favor on-site treatment of these materials.

This presentation summarizes our ESTCP “volume reduction” approach and results and compares to initial results from “soil washing 2.0”, where we modify the methods to overcome mass transfer limitations of conventional soil washing. We also discuss soil stabilization/solidification as an alternative to off-site treatment/disposal of PFAS-impacted soil based on testing at several DoD installations.

The discussions will highlight DoD funded research results and focus on practical considerations that will enable stakeholders and practitioners to make informed decisions about managing PFAS-impacted soils. We also compare soil washing and stabilization to landfilling and incineration from a sustainability perspective. The conclusion is that soil washing and stabilization/solidification are cost-effective and sustainable alternatives to landfilling and incineration.

Host or Publisher Detroit-Society of American Military Engineers