BATTELLE Chlorinated Conference Reemerges with a Splash

The Inter­na­tional Conference on Remediation of Chlorinated and Recal­ci­trant Compounds returned this year, and Battelle, the annual host, did not disappoint. 

It was no surprise to see PFAS everywhere, especially because this conference focuses specif­i­cally on recal­ci­trant compounds. But now, with the huge breadth of data and tech available, the answer to PFAS cont­a­m­i­na­tion is more complex than ever. The dawn of the PFAS treatment and remediation market has clearly arrived, as evidenced by an expo full to the brim with technology vendors. From Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) and Anion Exchange resin (AIX) to foam frac­tion­a­tion and beyond, attendees were surrounded by old and new ways to protect the public from PFAS. 

More than 1,500 technical experts from 27 countries descended on Palm Springs for the first time since the pandemic began, greeted by the largest technical program to date. It was a milestone Battelle event, with plenty of takeaways.

—The PFAS treatment market now includes a wide range of tech­nolo­gies, some ready for imple­men­ta­tion, some more theoretical at this stage. Promising offerings included Battelle’s PFAS Annihilator and EPOC Enviro’s Surface Activation Foam Frac­tion­a­tion unit. Other approaches, like microbial degradation, seem to need more research and time to mature. 

—GAC and AIX are still the most popular treatment options for drinking water providers. Having applied these tech­nolo­gies from bench-scale tests to design-build for new treatment facilities on the water side, we expect to see further application on the envi­ron­men­tal front.

—Very compelling work is being done in evaluating PFAS groundwater plumes, specif­i­cally assessing how PFAS plumes compare to those from other chlorinated solvents. Discerning how PFAS plumes are alike or different from other cont­a­m­i­nants will elucidate the best strategies for remediation.

—Big data has arrived for PFAS, leading the way to more analytical products. Which of these products are most relevant and promising? Our experts have been digging into the data, reach out for more information!

—Separate, Concentrate…Destroy: Tech­nolo­gies that can efficiently destroy PFAS represent the future of treatment and remediation. Destruction technology presented at Battelle included plasma, UV sulfite, super­crit­i­cal water oxidation, hydrother­mal alkaline and sonolysis.

CDM Smith’s PFAS team has decades of collective experience studying the known methods of separating, concen­trat­ing and destroying PFAS—among many other areas of remediation. Our experts presented on the following topics at Battelle this year, covering PFAS and beyond: 

• Abiotic and In Situ Biogeo­chem­i­cal Processes: Appli­ca­tions and Lessons Learned – Charles Schaefer (CDM Smith Inc.) and John Wilson (Scissortail Envi­ron­men­tal Solutions, LLC)
• Adaptive Site Management: Lessons Learned for Site Char­ac­ter­i­za­tion and Remedy Imple­men­ta­tion – Tamzen Macbeth (CDM Smith Inc.) and Kathleen Stetser (GEI Consultants, Inc.)
• Ex Situ PFAS Water Treatment Tech­nolo­gies – Purshotam Juri­asin­gani (Tetra Tech, Inc.) and Dung (Zoom) Nguyen (CDM Smith Inc.)
• Advanced Sampling and Analysis Tools and Techniques – John Dougherty (CDM Smith Inc.) and Sean Gormley (Wood)
• MIP/HPT/LIF/UVOST: Realtime HRSC Tools and Techniques – Andrew Bullard (CDM Smith Inc.) and Damon DeYoung (Batelle)
• Remediation Approaches in Fractured Rock and Karst Aquifers – Michael Lamar (CDM Smith Inc.) and Raymond Lees (Langan)
• Building a Robust Geochemical Model to Evaluate and Manage a Large, Dilute, Commingled Plume – K. Leslie, T. Macbeth, E. Ehret, J. Dougherty, M. Gamache, and T. Cook – Thomas Cook (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• PFAS Leaching in an AFFF-Impacted Source Area – C.E. Schaefer, D. Nguyen, S. O’Hare, G. Lavorgna, D. Lippincott, E. Christie, J. Field, S. Shea, and C.P. Higgins – PFAS Leaching in an AFFF-Impacted Source Area – C.E. Schaefer, D. Nguyen, S. O’Hare, G. Lavorgna, D. Lippincott, E. Christie, J. Field, S. Shea, and C.P. Higgins – Charles Schaefer (CDM Smith Inc./USA) (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Biore­cir­cu­la­tion Best Practices: Lessons Learned from Design, Construc­tion, and Operation of Two Large Temporary Systems – J.T. Bamer, M.R. Lamar, R. Subramanian, J.M. Trump, I. Tanaka, and A.F. Reed – Jeff Bamer (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Performance-Based Mass Discharge Assessment Program to Inform Remedy Transition and Site Closure – M.A. Harclerode, C.F. Silver, T.W. Macbeth, E.C. Ashley, and H. Brown – Melissa Harclerode (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Preparing for Effective, Adaptive Risk Commu­ni­ca­tion about PFAS in Drinking Water – S. Baryluk, M. Harclerode, H. Lanza, and J. Frangos – Sarah Baryluk (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• PFAS Retention in a Weathered Petroleum LNAPL – C. Gurr, K. Molloy, Y. Fang, S. Fiorenza, and A. Kirkman – Chris Gurr (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Deep Soil Remediation of TSCA-Regulated PCBs – S. Baryluk, K. Young, C. Silver, and M. Martin – Sarah Baryluk (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• The Use of Adaptive Management and High-Resolution Site Char­ac­ter­i­za­tion to Optimize the Remedial Design at a Superfund Site – R.A. Wymore, N. Smith, T. Macbeth, and M. Smith – Thomas Cook (CDM Smith, Inc./USA)
• Sustainable Fire­fight­ing System Cleanout and Rinsate Treatment Using PerfluorAd – Y. Fang, D. Nguyen, L. Stauch, D. Fleming, E. Crownover, and J. Buhl – Yida Fang (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Foam Frac­tion­a­tion Bench-Scale Treata­bil­ity for Per- and Poly­flu­o­roalkyl Substances Removal – K.P. Molloy, T.A. Key, and G.L. Ghurye – (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Use of Rapid, Small-Scale Column Tests for Evaluating PFAS Removal Using Granular Activated Carbons/Anion Exchange Resins – D.D. Nguyen and C.E. Schaefer – Dung (Zoom) Nguyen (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Deter­mi­na­tion of Exper­i­men­tal Henry’s Law Constants for 15 Poly- and Per Fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Using Statin Headspace Analysis – I. Abusallout and D. Hanigan – Ibrahim Abusallout (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Using Regulatory Clas­si­fi­ca­tions to Assess the Impact of Different Land Use Types on Per- and Poly­flu­o­roalkyl Substance Concen­tra­tions in Stormwater Pond Sediment – J.L. Olmsted, A. Ahmadires­kety, B. Ferreira Da Silva, N. Robey, J.-C.J. Bonzongo, J.A. Bowden, and J.J. Aristizabal-Henao – Jenny Olmsted (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Building a Community-Specific PFAS Cycle to Inform Program Management and Commu­ni­ca­tions – M.A. Harclerode, A. Miller, E.M. Spargimino, C. Larson, and G. Tivnan – Melissa Harclerode (CDM Smith Inc. USA)
• Abiotic Dechlo­ri­na­tion by Natural Ferrous Minerals – C.E. Schaefer, D. Nguyen, E. Berns, and C. Werth – Charles Schaefer (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• In Situ Treatment of a Commingled Carbon Tetra­chlo­ride, Chlo­ro­flu­o­ro­car­bon, and Trichloroethene Groundwater Plume in Fractured Bedrock – T. Macbeth, E. Ehret, D. Nguyen, T. Cook, S. Ohannessian, D. Janda, and M. Fattahipour – Emma Ehret (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• From Waste to Recyclable Material: New Approaches to Dealing with PFAS-Cont­a­m­i­nated Soil – K. Amstaetter and K. Mittag – Katja Amstaetter (CDM Smith Consult GmbH/Germany)
• In Situ and Ex Situ Appli­ca­tions of Surface Active Foam Fraction (SAFF) Tech­nolo­gies for Treatment of PFAS-Impacted Media – D.D. Nguyen, C.E. Schaefer, P. Murphy, and D. Burns – Dung (Zoom) Nguyen (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Evaluation of Conser­v­a­tive PFAS Groundwater Plume Lengths at AFFF-Impacted Military Bases – E. Ehret, J. Olmsted, and E. Goldberg – Emma Ehret (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Contri­bu­tions of Background PFAS Levels in Soils to Population Level Exposures and Effects on Envi­ron­men­tal Risk Assessment – H. A. Lanza and A.T. Mikkonen – Heather Lanza (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Assessing the Release of PFAS from Municipal Wastewater Finished Biosolids through Bench and Field Aging Experiments – J. Hooper, C. Schaefer, L. Lee, N. Beecher, and D.M. Drennan – Jennifer Hooper (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Appli­ca­tions of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Logging to Develop a Three-Dimensional Model of Aquifer Hydraulic Conduc­tiv­ity to Support Evaluation of Remedial Alter­na­tives – J.N. Dougherty, T. Cook, M. Gamache, K. Heisen, T. Macbeth, W. Treadway, M. Goldberg, and M. Simon – John Dougherty (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Adaptive Management for Char­ac­ter­i­za­tion and Remediation of DNAPL in Fractured Crystalline Bedrock – E.C. Ashley, R.A. Wymore, and N.J. Castonguay – Ernest Ashley (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Destructive PFAS Technology Niche and Life Cycle Costs for Water Treatment – T.W. Macbeth, M. Harclerode, N. Pica, J. Bamer, C. Schaefer, D. Nguyen, P. Murphy, and D. Burns – Tamzen Macbeth (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• ITRC Regulatory Guidance: Optimizing Injection Strategies and In Situ Remediation Performance – D.A. Scheer, T. Macbeth, and J. Waldron – Tamzen Macbeth (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Using High-Resolution Char­ac­ter­i­za­tion and Hydraulic Perme­abil­ity Enhancement to Improve Remedy Performance in a Down­gra­di­ent Plume – N.T. Smith, D. Nguyen, N.L Smith, R.A. Wymore, S. Garcia, and I. Bowen – Nathan Smith (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Proof That the Most Aggressive Remedial Action Can Also be the Greenest – I. Lo, M. Harclerode, G. Stuesse, and M. Ryan – Ian Lo (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Using Sustainable Remediation to Align with Corporate ESG Goals – M. Schlosser and M. Harclerode – Melissa Harclerode (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• From Bench to Field: Foam Frac­tion­a­tion and Elec­tro­chem­i­cal Oxidation Performance on Source Zone and Plume PFAS Treatment – J.R. Beattie, M.A. Harclerode, M.J. Salvetti, S.F. Baryluk, D.D Nguyen, and Y. Fang – Dung (Zoom) Nguyen (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Elec­tro­chem­i­cal Oxidation of AFFF and PFEAs in Still Bottoms Generated after Anionic Exchange Resin Column Regen­er­a­tion – Y. Fang, C. Schaefer, P. Meng, D. Knappe, S. Choyke, C. Higgins, and T. Strathmann – Yida Fang (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• A Sustainable Treatment Train Approach for Complete Destruction of PFAS in Cont­a­m­i­nated Water - N. Pica, T. Macbeth, J. Bamer, C. Schaefer, and T. Burgesser – Tamzen Macbeth (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Using Hyper­spec­tral Sensors of Unmanned Aircraft Systems to Char­ac­ter­ize Mine Trailing, Bauer Tailing Sites, Tooele County, Utah – S. Dent, H. Young, D. Reicks, T. Bragdon, and R. Olsen – Stephen Dent (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• In Situ Remediation of Source Chlorinated VOCs at an Industrial Site in Japan – M.L. Lamar, C. Franzel, H. Kamemoto, R.L. Olsen, and G. Ebert – Michael Lamar (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Optimized Integrated Remediation of a Complex Plume with CHC/Vinyl Chloride Using a Treatment Train – K. Menschner and T. Reichardt – Karsten Menschner (CDM Smith Inc./Germany)
• Multiphase Hydro­ge­o­log­i­cal Char­ac­ter­i­za­tion of a Fractured Bedrock Aquifer to Optimize Amendment Injection – T. Tomaselli, J. Button, J.N. Dougherty, A. Brown, A.S. King, and S. Rahman – Travis Tomaselli (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Challenges and Green Remediation Planning – S.A. Sheldrake and M.A. Harclerode – Sean Sheldrake (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Traditional versus Incremental Sampling Methodology for Char­ac­ter­i­za­tion of a Historical AFFF Release Area – J. Bamer, D. Wintle, H. Lanza, R. Merrick, and D.D. Nguyen – Jeff Bamer (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Remediation and Hexavalent Chromium in Groundwater Using In Situ and Monitored Natural Attenuation Techniques in Five Countries – R.L. Olsen – Roger Olsen (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Guidance on Building Robust CSMs Using High Resolution Site Char­ac­ter­i­za­tion at Complex Air Force Sites – T.W. Macbeth, K.L Leslie, T.J. Cook, K. Glover, J. Davis, and G. Rose – Tamzen Macbeth (CDM Smith Inc./USA)
• Combating Inter­na­tional Brain Drain: The Social Benefits of Sustainable Remediation – M. Lemes, M. Harclerode, and J. Henderson – Maria Cristina Lemes (CDM Smith Inc./USA)