Spent Media Management Pathways for PFAS Treatment Applications

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Water Treatment Technologies
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Growing regulatory pressure necessitates efficient per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) removal from water across various sectors.
• Adsorptive media, primarily granular activated carbon (GAC) and anion exchange resin (AER), are increasingly employed for PFAS separation from drinking water.
• Spent adsorptive media present downstream management challenges, including significant operational costs and regulatory uncertainties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate management strategies for PFAS-laden spent media from water treatment.
• To assess the economic and energy implications of different spent media handling approaches.
• To explore the potential of regeneration technologies for GAC and AER.

Main Methods:

• Review of current and emerging technologies for spent media management, including incineration, GAC reactivation, and supercritical water oxidation (SCWO).
• Analysis of onsite and offsite regeneration processes for both GAC and AER.
• Comparison of regeneration strategies against single-use media procurement and disposal.

Main Results:

• Both GAC and AER generate PFAS-laden spent media requiring careful downstream management.
• Incineration, GAC reactivation, and SCWO are existing or emerging options for spent media disposal.
• Onsite regeneration of AER and GAC, as well as offsite GAC reactivation, show potential for reducing operational costs and energy consumption.

Conclusions:

• Regeneration of spent GAC and AER media offers a viable pathway to mitigate the economic and environmental burdens associated with PFAS water treatment.
• Implementing regeneration processes can lead to substantial reductions in operating costs and energy demands compared to conventional single-use media disposal.
• Further development and adoption of regeneration technologies are crucial for sustainable PFAS management in water treatment applications.