Evaluation of Bench-Scale Methods to Predict Drinking Water PFAS Removal Performance of IX and Novel Adsorbents at Pilot and Full-Scale

Drinking water utilities are seeking practical and cost-effective ways to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from drinking water. Treatment by adsorption is currently the preferred method; however, it is important to optimize the assessment of adsorbent performance prior to a water agency’s selection of an adsorbent media to employ at full-scale. The length of time needed and costs associated with pilot testing are challenging. Therefore, there is a significant need for laboratory-scale methods to assess media performance more quickly to identify the longest-lasting media for a given source water and to estimate full-scale treatment system costs. This project will test a newly available laboratory method known as recirculating column isotherm for a range of adsorbent media, including ion exchange and novel adsorbents, and compare this to rapid small-scale column testing. Project results may enable treatment decisions to be made more quickly and accurately.