How Upgraded Treatment Methods Can Remove PFAS from Drinking Water?

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl) represent an emerging drinking water contaminant threat. This diverse chemical family—including PFOA and PFOS—impart stain-, stick-, and water resistance. However, PFAS persistence and mobility, plus links to adverse human health effects, make contamination extremely concerning. While avoiding PFAS release is ideal, upgraded treatment providing adequate drinking water PFAS removal is critical given their widespread detection. Promising methods to supplement conventional techniques with targeted PFAS treatment are emerging.

PFAS Health Impacts

Numerous studies demonstrate associations between PFAS uptake and issues, including developmental effects, liver and kidney dysfunction, hormonal interference, reduced vaccine efficacy, and cancer. Their extreme persistence also leads to long-term retention in the human body. Authoritative bodies are rapidly strengthening PFAS water quality standards given public health priorities. However, many current treatment techniques cannot address trace PFAS threats. Multiple process upgrades are necessary to manage PFAS alongside other water quality issues.

Optimising Conventional Treatment for PFAS Removal

Standard clarification steps like coagulation/flocculation/sedimentation and filtration achieve partial incidental PFAS removal via sorption on precipitates and granular media. However, residual PFAS often still exceed the low part-per-trillion guidelines being established. Optimising chemical use, separation processes, and media sorbents based on source water characteristics and PFAS binding dynamics can improve performance. But targeted enhancement is also critical—especially for short-chain PFAS not sufficiently controlled by techniques effective for more extended compounds like PFOA/PFOS.

NOM Interactions – A Key Consideration for PFAS Treatment Tech Selection

PFAS have a strong affinity for natural organic matter (NOM), ubiquitous in surface source waters. The NOM-PFAS binding tendency can affect treatment efficiency in complex ways specific to methods relying on sorption, separation, destruction, etc. Approaches focused on physical PFAS encapsulation are more impacted by raw water NOM levels vs. others directly destroying compounds. NOM drives technique selection considerations. For example, elevated NOM favours direct destruction approaches over purely adsorptive media. In all cases, multi-step tailored combinations are necessary for robust PFAS management.

Advanced Oxidation Processes

Oxidation using hydroxyl radicals, sulfate radicals, UV radiation, or electrochemical processes breaks PFAS molecular bonds instead of concentrating contaminants on media requiring reuse/disposal. Controlled free radical and high-energy methods can degrade PFAS into more benign end products. However, very short-chain PFAS have heightened mobility, requiring further polishing. Balancing destruction across PFAS of different chain lengths plus controlling byproducts is critical. While costly, direct destruction prevents passing risks to residual streams and offers a proactive solution.

Netsol Water’s PFAS Treatment Solutions

No single process addresses diverse, fluctuating PFAS threats in water. Netsol combines multiple tailored barriers for comprehensive control. For example, integrating pre-filtration to stabilise water quality, enhanced coagulation targeting mid-range PFAS, advanced oxidation destroying recalcitrant short and long-chain PFAS, and a final adsorptive polishing for residual capture and breakdown byproduct mop-up. This multistage approach achieves non-detect results for all significant PFAS while preventing new risks. Flexible, intensive treatment is essential with emerging contaminants, and Netsol’s processes enable water providers to attain the most protective public health guidelines reliably.

Conclusion

With increasing PFAS guidelines outstripping conventional treatment capacities, utilities require new solutions to secure water against these ubiquitous emerging threats. While combining optimised traditional steps aids control of certain PFAS types, advanced processes specifically engineered to destroy compounds are critical—especially for short-chain chemistry. Netsol provides flexible integration of processes like advanced oxidation for PFAS control with standard treatment. Multiple targeted barriers in sequence are necessary for the diverse PFAS molecule threats posed and for managing resultant transformation byproducts. Prioritising public health through proactive intensive treatment is key in the face of expanding PFAS challenges.

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