BioLargo Takes PFAS Innovation To A New Level
It is said that necessity drives innovation, and the need to remove PFAS has shown this to be true. While traditional treatment technologies have a foot hold in the PFAS treatment market, new and proposed regulations are creating the need for innovation in order to meet tougher targets, changing how the industry views PFAS mitigation. Evolving regulatory guidelines are forcing industry to apply old technologies in new ways, and to create new processes all together.
All this change can make selecting the correct PFAS treatment solution a daunting task. Many factors go into picking the right PFAS treatment solution and there is no silver bullet, no “black box”. And knowing what questions to ask for any particular system can vary state to state, depending on the influent water.
One company wanted to make the selection process a bit easier on potential customers. BioLargo Inc. published a guide to help systems weed through the traditional treatments, and answer some of the questions posed by a positive PFAS test result.
What are PFAS?
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of harmful chemicals widely used in manufacturing and consumer products, known to contaminate drinking water sources around the world, and are both biopersistent (meaning they remain in organisms indefinitely without breaking down), and are bioaccumulative (meaning that over time, they build up in ever increasing amounts in people, wildlife, aquatic life, and the environment).
Who is BioLargo?
BioLargo, Inc. is a cleantech and life sciences innovator and full- service engineering company and solution provider. The company’s focus is on PFAS removal and destruction, innovative advanced oxidation, water reuse and optimization using advanced water and wastewater treatment, and odor and VOC control.
When the EPA put out calls for innovation, BioLargo answered with a unique approach to PFAS removal and destruction that is suitable for most water types. As with all things water and wastewater, effectiveness comes down to chemistry. There is no “black box” that treats everything. BioLargo’s unique approach walks clients down a path that ensures their needs are met with the best possible solution, while ensuring their system will fit both current and future regulatory needs.
What is BioLargo’s Approach and Why is it Unique?
The AEC system is an onsite removal system with a destruction process at the end. The AEC removes the PFAS from the aqueous stream and captures it in the system in a proprietary, patent protected process that produces up to 1/42,0000th the waste of a standard carbon system. The modules, which last up to 3 years in the system, are then removed in a service/exchange process and brough back to a centralized destruction facility.
BioLargo’s PFAS removal treatment technology, the Aqueous Electrostatic Concentrator (AEC), has been proven in multiple case studies, conducted at a centralized facility with PFAS-contaminated water provided by municipalities across the US, to reduce the PFAS chemicals targeted by the EPA’s new drinking water standards and more to below their respective limits of detection, thus meeting the EPA’s proposed limits. These studies have proven the AEC’s ability to remove all PFAS chemicals monitored in the current testing method. These studies have also been successful on municipal and industrial wastewater and leachate.
Randall Moore, President of BioLargo’s engineering subsidiary, said, “It is especially notable that our AEC technology can reduce the presence of PFBA and PFBS to below their detection limit because existing water treatment solutions like carbon-filtration and ion exchange tend to struggle to remove these. Because of their small size and low polarity, they tend to slip right through carbon and other media-based technologies.
BioLargo’s approach to treatment is simple. If their technology is not the correct one for the job, they will recommend a better one. They are not looking to sell equipment, but rather sell solutions. “There is plenty of PFAS business for everyone for years to come”, Mr. Moore said.
BioLargo’s philosophy to working with customers is designed to offer “proof of concept” and “peace of mind” in an incremental approach, from initial testing to full- scale treatment, with the final step including a service exchange maintenance program to remove and destroy PFAS laden material and a process guarantee to ensure continuing compliance and success. This approach is especially appealing for smaller systems that may lack the resources to deal with PFAS.
PFAS is just one of several solutions that BioLargo can offer the industry. With a talented team of engineers, the BioLargo Engineering, Solutions and Technology group tackles everything from hazardous waste, remediation, reuse, to air quality and energy daily. Their next focus will include a salt-based battery storage solution to rival lithium-ion batteries for long-term energy storage installations.
Their ONM Environmental business unit is a leader in eliminating odors and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from air. Their industrial CupriDyne Clean product for odor and VOC control has proven its effectiveness is the solid waste industry and is now proving its success at wastewater treatment facilities and in the direct-to-consumer market. The product eliminates odors on contact instead of masking them. The product has been deemed safe and effective by multiple state and federal agencies.
And BioLargo’s unique Advanced Oxidation System (AOS) is an energy-efficient disinfection and micropollutant elimination system that just completed a year long pilot program in Quebec, showing a 6-log reduction in bacteria in a single pass with simultaneous pharmaceutical micropollutant removal, a rare technical feat.
Dennis Calvert, CEO commented, “We have so much talent and innovation to share with the water industry. We are excited to show the world.”
For more information on their products or for free access to the BioLargo PFAS technology selection guide, visit BioLargo at booth 6540.
See what innovation is doing to change the face of PFAS mitigation. Or visit www.bestpfasteatment.com for additional information or email pfas@biolargo.com