Leachate is a mixture of many different substances and often contains significant amounts of organic matter, which makes it difficult to use traditional methods of separating PFAS like activated carbon and ion exchange. However, technological developments in recent years, including the Danish Environmental Protection Agency’s ‘PFASinator’ project, have made it possible to remove PFAS from leachate.
The content and composition of PFAS varies a lot from one leachate to the next, which also affects how efficiently it can be remediated.
ECT2 specializes in removing PFAS from leachate and has delivered more than 10 full-scale plants to landfills in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Here are some examples:
Renosyd, Denmark
A landfill with very high levels of PFAS, especially PFBS, has contaminated the sludge headed to the local municipal wastewater treatment plant.
In the spring of 2024, we installed a PFAS treatment plant at the site, which uses Fluorflok (ECT2’s special PFAS flocculant) to remove the PFAS. This solution is delivering the same efficiency at full scale that it did at pilot scale. The sludge from the leachate treatment plant is dewatered at the landfill itself, and then sent for incineration at high temperatures.
The impact of having the treatment plant at the landfill could be quickly seen at the municipal treatment plant, where reduced PFAS concentrations permitted the sludge handling to resume. The facility has a maximum capacity of 12 m³/hour.
Perpetuum, Norway
The waste management company Perpetuum operates one of few landfills that accept PFAS-contaminated soil in Norway. The PFAS limit for this leachate is just 100 ng/l, which meant the client would need to expand their ‘treatment train’.
The first stage in this train is filtration with ceramic membranes, then activated carbon and, finally, SORBIX™ PURE. The plant treats around 30,000 m³ of water per year.
Hjørring, Denmark
High PFAS levels have made it challenging for the Hjørring treatment plant to receive both leachate and water from a company that treats oily water. In 2023, this led them to install a solution at the treatment plant itself: flocculation with our PFAS-specific flocculating agent, followed by flotation.
The plant soon saw a significant reduction in PFAS. Today, all leachate and oily water are cleaned at the facility, and the volume of the stored water has been reduced.
Connect with a PFAS expert
We are in the process of installing seven more plants at landfills in Scandinavia, and more are on the way. It is possible to clean PFAS from leachate, but it is important to decide whether you can settle for a reduction of up to 95% or if you need to go all the way, as the last few percent are often costly.
If you would like to explore your options, to test the effectiveness of different technologies on your water, or just to learn more, then please complete the contact form below.
