As a society, we are becoming increasingly aware of emerging contaminants in our waterways which cannot be removed by conventional treatment means. Pesticides, pharmaceutical waste, hormones, chemicals and other contaminants can be found in trace quantities in our water, but trace amounts of certain pollutants can have substantial negative impacts on human health and the environment. One growing area of awareness surrounds per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.

PFAS are a large group of environmentally-persistent, highly stable man-made chemicals which have been used in household goods and industrial products for their hydrophobic, oleophobic, lubrication, or non-flammable properties – firefighting foams, anti-stick coating on cookware, water-repellant clothing, etc.  There is evidence that continued exposure above specific levels to certain PFAS may lead to adverse health effects. Very low doses (parts per trillion) in drinking water have been linked to an increased risk of cancer, reproductive and immune system harm, liver and thyroid disease, and other health problems.

With PFAS more or less ubiquitous in the environment, having been detected more or less everywhere on Earth,  laws and regulations have been slow to address this. The US will be implementing strict, country-wide limits in 2023 for drinking water.

Current adsorption media techniques – granular activated carbon (GAC) and ion exchange (IX) resins can remove PFAS from water.  But this simply displaces the problem to somewhere else where the media with captured PFAS is disposed.  A solution for destroying PFAS at the site of capture is critical to reducing liability and to not making PFAS “somebody else’s problem”.

ECOTHOR^®-EOx is E2metrix’s electro-oxidation solution for onsite PFAS destruction, with > 99% destruction achievable. Based on the company’s existing, commercial systems, ECOTHOR^®-EOx can drastically reduce the consumable costs (80-90+%) associated with PFAS destruction in concentrated effluents.   When coupled with a concentrating process upstream, and a polishing step downstream, an integrated solution featuring ECOTHOR^®-EOx can provide a cost-effective solution for utilities (potable water, wastewater) landfill sites (leachate), contaminated sites (groundwater) and industrial water.

For any informations regarding treating other micropollutants – glyphosate, pharmaceuticals, hormones, etc – please contact E2metrix so you can get the support your water treatment needs.