Customer Type: PFAS wastewater filter systems
Wastewater: All types
Equipment: Pan America Environmental ZeoMaxx Filtration
Pan America Environmental, Inc. provides PFAS treatment.
PFAS is a class of fluoronated chemicals. There are about 4700 chemicals in this class. About 600 are common. They are all man-made and contain linked chains of carbon and fluorine. These chemicals don’t degrade easily in the environment as the atomic bond is the strongest in nature and are stable in water but are also fully soluble. Typical chemicals are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS).
Filtration Method
The filtration process used to remove these contaminants would start with the ZeoMaxx Z200 media filters(s) followed by the AC830 media filter(s) plumbed in series. To assure thorough PFAS removal two Z200 filters followed by two or more AC830 filters. The PFAS reduction after the Z200 filters can be up to 91% and after the AC830 reduction of up to 98%. This simple, step-by-step treatment train will also remove TAH, BTEX, VOCs, metals and a wide variety of other products and organics. The ZeoMaxx systems can be sized for any flow rate.
PFAS (as PFOS & PFOA or others) are found in:
• Airport deicing, firefighting ponds and collection systems.
• Ship firefighting foam water.
• Food packaging with PFAS-containing materials, processed with equipment that uses PFAS, or grown in PFAS-contaminated soil or water.
• Commercial household products, including stain and water-repellent fabrics, nonstick products (e.g., Teflon), polishes, waxes, paints, cleaning products, and AFFF fire fighting foams (a source of groundwater contamination at airports and military bases where firefighting training occurs).
• Workplace, including production facilities or industries (e.g., chrome plating, electronics manufacturing or oil recovery) that use PFAS.
• Drinking water, typically localized and associated with a specific facility (e.g., manufacturer, landfill, wastewater treatment plant, firefighter training facility).
• Living organisms, including fish, animals and humans, where PFAS have the ability to build up and persist over time.
PFAS are also found in a wide range of consumer products that people use daily such as cookware, pizza boxes and stain repellants. According to EPA and other public sources most people have been exposed to PFAS due to the ubiquitous nature of the products and their wide use. Certain PFAS can accumulate and stay in the human body for long periods of time. Per EPA there is evidence that exposure to PFAS can lead to adverse health outcomes in humans. The most-studied PFAS chemicals are PFOA and PFOS. Studies indicate that PFOA and PFOS can cause reproductive and developmental, liver and kidney, and immunological effects in laboratory animals. Both chemicals have caused tumors in animals according to EPA references.
What is the difference between PFOA, PFOS and GenX and other replacement PFAS?
Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals that have been in use since the 1940s, and are (or have been) found in many consumer products like cookware, food packaging, and stain repellants. PFAS manufacturing and processing facilities, airports, and military installations that use firefighting foams are some of the main sources of PFAS. PFAS may be released into the air, soil, and water, including sources of drinking water. PFOA and PFOS are the most studied PFAS chemicals and have been voluntarily phased out by industry, though they are still persistent in the environment. There are many other PFAS, including GenX chemicals and PFBS in use throughout the US economy.
Treatment Solutions
Technologies:
– Solids prefiltration prior to ZeoMaxx filters
– ZeoMax AC830, Z200 and other of our medias
PFOS, PFOA, PFBA, PFHxS, PFHxA & PFNA can be removed via ZeoMaxx Z200 and AC830.