Enhanced Aeration and Scum Recovery for Physical Removal of PFAS from Wastewater

Several recent studies have shown that poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) sorption occurs at air-water interfaces, and that sparging/aeration processes facilitate PFAS stripping from contaminated waters where they can be collected in overlying forms or aerosols. This project will build off work from WRF project 5031, in which the project team observed PFAS accumulation in the scum associated with aeration.

The goal of this project is to demonstrate the potential for enhanced removal of PFAS from wastewater by optimizing existing aeration and scum/foam collection systems, along with capture of emitted aerosols or wastewater droplets. This will be achieved through bench-scale testing of wastewaters, coupled with the small proof-of concept field test to demonstrate that current aeration systems can be utilized for PFAS removal.