{"id":20715,"date":"2022-01-23T20:14:20","date_gmt":"2022-01-23T20:14:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saj.pachecostudios.com?p=20715"},"modified":"2022-01-26T17:07:47","modified_gmt":"2022-01-26T17:07:47","slug":"using-colloidal-activated-carbon-to-treat-afff-source-zones-at-airports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/national-news\/using-colloidal-activated-carbon-to-treat-afff-source-zones-at-airports\/%20","title":{"rendered":"Cost-Effective PFAS Treatment Reduces Airport Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

PFAS Plumes Cleaned Up Using Proven, Sustainable, Approach <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

By Maureen Dooley – REGENESIS Vice President, Industrial Sector <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If history is any guide, the threat of\n\u201cForever Chemicals\u201d (i.e., PFAS) spreading from industrial facilities, military\nbases, and airports will largely be remedied by allowing natural attenuation to\ntake its course.  Natural\nattenuation encompasses processes that lead to reduction of the mass, toxicity,\nmobility, or volume of contaminants without human intervention.[1<\/sup>]<\/sup> However, PFAS\u2019 everlasting nature suggest that\nat many sites, an enhanced natural attenuation remedy, such as in situ<\/em> (i.e.,\nin-place) treatment of PFAS source area groundwater, will be required to\nfacilitate natural attenuation of a PFAS plume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The environmental industry first saw natural attenuation\ndisplace pump-and-treat (P&T) as a remedy for hydrocarbon treatment in the\nmid-1990s after the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE)\ndeveloped a protocol for natural attenuation of fuel hydrocarbons in 1994, then\nfollowed with a protocol for natural attenuation of chlorinated solvents in\n1996.   These concepts and processes\nproved effective and were further adapted by the US EPA and state regulatory\nagencies throughout the early 2000s and were broadened to incorporate a wide\nrange of contaminants, including metals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the enormous cost of operating inefficient P&T\nsystems and the attendant generation of hazardous waste, history is poised to\nrepeat itself as leading environmental experts publish protocols for the\nnatural attenuation of PFAS. It only makes sense. This approach will save\ngovernments billions of dollars, avoid the enormous carbon footprint associated\nwith inefficiently pumping and treating water, prevent the generation of toxic\nPFAS-laden filtering media, and eliminate the environmental risk of PFAS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remediating PFAS using a Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) approach[1]<\/sup> will require demonstrating minimal exposure to these chemicals now or in the future through groundwater plume monitoring.  Points where exposure to PFAS could occur include potable water wells and streams located near PFAS release sources (e.g., firefighting rescue and training areas at airport facilities worldwide).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MNA can be a practical and cost-effective\nremedial path toward site closure but only if PFAS plumes can be shown through\nmonitoring to be stable or declining.  However, without enhanced\nattenuation[2]<\/sup>\ninterventions, it is unlikely that stable-or-declining-plume conditions will be\nmet due to PFAS\u2019s extraordinary persistence and mobility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the most practical and effective\nenhanced attenuation intervention involves the targeted in situ<\/em> sorption\ntreatment at PFAS source zones, such as demonstrated by the injection of\nPlumeStop\u00ae Colloidal Activated Carbon (CAC) at Fairbanks International Airport\n(FIA.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a webinar hosted by REGENESIS\u00ae scheduled for broadcast on January 27, 2021, 2 p.m. EDT, Kristen Freiburger<\/a>, Associate at Shannon & Wilson, will discuss the fate and transport properties of PFAS that lead to groundwater plume development and PFAS exposure risk. Kristen will be joined by Maureen Dooley<\/a>, REGENESIS Vice President, Industrial Sector, who will present examples of the CAC application at PFAS contaminated sites where the aquifer properties were modified to drastically reduce PFAS’ ability to migrate (i.e., transport) through the aquifer. Ms. Freiburger will outline how PFAS have been virtually eliminated from groundwater following the CAC application at FIA, including over 500 nanograms per liter PFOA and PFOS reduced to non-detect, through 19 months of performance monitoring completed thus far. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experienced remediation practitioners know\nthat eliminating contaminants at the plume source using enhanced attenuation\nintervention methods drastically reduces the contaminant flux in the plume.\nThis action forces the plume\u2019s extent to decline, which is demonstrated through\nMNA. Results observed at FIA and other AFFF (i.e., aqueous film forming foam) release\nsites like Camp Grayling Army\nAirfield<\/a> demonstrate the\nviability of an EA remedial approach using CAC to target PFAS source zones, now\nbeing adopted at other airport sites globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the author – Ms. Dooley has over thirty years\u2019 experience in many aspects of environmental industry including project management, research and development, senior technical oversight, remedial design and laboratory management. Ms. Dooley\u2019s current position is the Vice President Industrial Sector for REGENESIS.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

______________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1]<\/sup> According to the EPA, MNA is a remedial approach that:   . . . relies on natural attenuation processes (within the context of a carefully controlled and monitored site cleanup approach) to achieve site-specific remedial objectives within a time frame that is reasonable compared to other methods.  The \u201cnatural attenuation processes\u201d act without human intervention to reduce the mass<\/strong>, toxicity, mobility<\/strong>, volume, or concentration of contaminants in <\/strong>soil and groundwater<\/strong>.  These in-situ processes include biodegradation, dispersion, dilution, sorption<\/strong>, volatilization, and chemical or biological stabilization, transformation, or destruction of contaminants.  <\/em>U.S. EPA. Use of Monitored Natural Attenuation at Superfund, RCRA Corrective Action, and Underground Storage Tank Sites, EPA\/9200.4-17P. Published online 1999:41.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] According to the ITRC, \u201cEnhanced Attenuation is any type of intervention that might be implemented in a source-plume system to increase the magnitude of attenuation by natural processes beyond that which occurs without intervention. Enhanced attenuation is the result of applying an enhancement<\/strong> that sustainably manipulates a natural attenuation process, leading to an increased reduction<\/strong> in mass flux of contaminants<\/strong>.\u201d  <\/em>ITRC (Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council). Enhanced Attenuation: Chlorinated Organics. EACO-1. Washington, D.C.: Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council, Enhanced Attenuation: Chlorinated Organics Team. www.itrcweb.org. Published online 2008.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PFAS Plumes Cleaned Up Using Proven, Sustainable, Approach By Maureen Dooley – REGENESIS Vice President, Industrial Sector If history is any guide, the threat of \u201cForever Chemicals\u201d (i.e., PFAS) spreading from industrial facilities, military bases, and airports will largely be remedied by allowing natural attenuation to take its course.  Natural attenuation encompasses processes that lead to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20715"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20767,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20715\/revisions\/20767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}