Concord Monitor – NH likely to contract PFAS-destroying technology

If all goes according to plan, a just-opened facility in Ohio could destroy PFAS chemicals from New Hampshire fire departments later this year, the first step that could lead to the construction of a PFAS-busting operation in New England.

“This is no longer an eternal chemical. There is a solution,” said Jake McManus of Northeast Purification Systems, who is executing the project for Revive Environmental, which developed the technology.

“It’s the chemical that’s everywhere but no longer forever,” added Mark Sanborn, former assistant commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services who now works for Northeast Purification Systems.

If a contract is signed by the Governor and Executive Council, as seems likely, processed leachate containing PFAS from firefighting foam and equipment will be brought to Columbus, Ohio, to a facility operated by Revive Environmental that will use high pressure and temperature used to put down the fire. cancer-causing chemical in a system called PFAS Annihilator.

“If we can do it for firefighting foam, which is the worst of the worst, we can do it for all leachate” that contains PFAS, said David Trueba, president and CEO of Ohio-based Revive Environmental.

Revive describes their system as an environmentally friendly alternative to burying or burning materials containing PFAS, the current alternatives. The cost per gallon is “cheaper than incineration, more expensive than landfill,” Trueba said.

Revive is using the system at a factory in Michigan, which started as a pilot and is now running full-time. The company says it treats more than 2.5 million gallons of concentrated leachate from wastewater treatment plants every month.

PFAS, short for “per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances,” is a class of thousands of man-made chemicals that have been around since the 1940s to make products resistant to oil, heat or water. They’re used in everything from cosmetics to outdoor gear to nonstick pans and food packaging, and because they don’t break down naturally, they’ve built up in the environment. Exposure can lead to a higher risk of several types of cancer and other diseases.

Spurred by the discovery of groundwater PFAS linked to the now-closed Saint-Gobain plant in Merrimack, New Hampshire is leading the way in environmental regulations regarding the chemical.

One of the main sources of PFAS contamination is a type of firefighting foam, which can seep into groundwater after use in a fire. New Hampshire banned its use in 2019, leading to questions about what to do with existing material. The Revive Environmental system is seen as the possible solution.

Northeast Purification Systems acts as local agent for Revive Environmental. They’ll start with the New Hampshire firefighting foam, but hope to convince other sources of PFAS to use the system. The idea is to gain enough customers to justify building a PFAS Annihilator site in New England to avoid freight costs.

A big boost for the industry is the EPA’s recent decision to add PFAS to drinking water standards, meaning wastewater treatment plants will have to start removing them. “That has really caused people to realize that if PFAS is in their waste stream … they’re going to need a solution,” Sanborn says.

This reflects the way the sector is largely driven by regulation. Revive began operations in Michigan because that state placed limits on PFAS in leachate, the liquid that leaks from landfills or industrial sites.

Another driving force is the fear of lawsuits.

“I wouldn’t discount the liability factor,” Sanborn said. “This is a solution for your PFAS that gives you documentation … showing that the material has been destroyed from a regulatory perspective and a liability perspective.”