Wastewater as a Source of PFAS

The webinar was presented for informational purposes. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of each of the NEWMOA-member states and and the strategies and technologies discussed should not be considered an endorsement by NEWMOA or its members.

The webinar included the following presentations:

Justin Pimpare, EPA Region 1 [PDF] presented Using the Pretreatment Program to Identify Sources of PFAS in Wastewater. The presentation provided an overview of potential PFAS industrial user sources identified via annual pretreatment reports. An overview of PFAS monitoring requirements in Massachusetts NPDES permits was also discussed, as well as other PFAS-related pretreatment initiatives in New England.

Farshad Ebrahimi, Temple University [PDF] presented Linking PFAS Partitioning Behavior in Sewage Solids to Solid Characteristics, Solution Chemistry, and Treatment Processes. The presentation discussed the impacts of parameters such as protein, lipid, organic matter, ionic strength, and pH on the PFAS leaching potential from secondary sludge and biosolids. It also examined the relationship to the treatment method, including activated sludge, sludge stabilization, and anaerobic digestion.