Indaver Is Essential For Removing PFAS From Our Society

Indaver plays an essential role in the chain approach needed to remove PFAS from our society. We not only ensure the effective destruction of PFAS-containing industrial waste, but also of PFAS-containing consumer goods, soil remediation waste, and PFAS-containing waste generated by other installations aimed at reducing PFAS emissions — such as activated carbon filters from water treatment plants. This processing is always carried out using the Best Available Techniques (BAT), with the utmost care for the environment. Numerous studies and measurements confirm that the environmental impact of Indaver’s PFAS waste processing is very limited — both in terms of air and (waste)water. No human toxicological risks have been identified. Indaver is committed to continuing its societal role in the future, helping to further reduce PFAS in our environment.

Best Available Technique for thermal treatment
Indaver processes approximately 600,000 kg of PFAS per year in its rotary kilns in Antwerp. The very high incineration temperature, long residence time, and intense turbulence create optimal processing conditions. Indaver guarantees an average combustion temperature of 1050°C, although the actual operating temperature is often significantly higher. Combustion occurs both in the rotary kiln and in the post combustion chamber, where the highest temperatures are achieved.

Recent peer-reviewed research (Chemosphere 365 (2024) 143403) from the renowned Institute for Technical Chemistry at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany concluded that, “In a lab-scale rotary kiln, no or only negligible amounts of PFAS were detected at temperatures from 860°C, and increasing the temperature to 1095°C provided no additional benefit.”

Origin of the waste: no import of highly contaminated PFAS waste from the Netherlands
Since early 2024, Indaver has significantly reduced the intake of highly PFAS-contaminated waste from the Netherlands in order to secure enough processing capacity for PFAS waste from Flanders, such as from remediation projects. Since 2025, all direct supply of PFAS waste from Chemours to Indaver has been halted.

Indaver still imports activated carbon filters, IEX filters, reverse osmosis residues, water treatment sludge, and low-PFAS industrial waste from the Netherlands. The Netherlands lacks the appropriate technology (such as rotary kilns) for this type of treatment and is fully dependent on foreign facilities to process PFAS waste from water purification, for example.

PFAS emissions in wastewater under detection limits
In recent years, Indaver has implemented extensive measures to effectively remove short- and long-chain PFAS. This is done in line with the validated measurement method (WAC/IV/A/025). These measures are applied at multiple levels: during waste acceptance, throughout the treatment process, and during wastewater purification.

For example, we avoid highly contaminated waste streams and pre-treat groundwater before using it in our processes. We have also invested in new purification techniques that remove PFAS from wastewater below detection limits. Our wastewater treatment plant was upgraded with additional sand filters and a double row of four activated carbon filters.

All short- and long-chain PFAS in Indaver’s discharge water are below detection limits. Depending on the component, the detection limit is extremely low: between 20 and 50 nanograms. One nanogram is one-millionth of a grain of sugar (one gram of sugar contains about 1,000 grains). So, PFAS cannot be detected in Indaver’s discharge water even at amounts 50,000 times smaller than a grain of sugar — in stark contrast to the 600,000 kg of PFAS we remove from society.

PFAS stack emissions: less than 50 grams per year
Indaver frequently measures what is released through its chimney. Between 2023 and 2024, 40 specific PFAS air emission measurements were carried out on the flue gases from the rotary kilns. The method was developed by the Flemish government (LUC/VI/003, “Determination of the concentration of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in a directed gas stream”).

Results from the stack ranged from less than 0.0003 kg/year to less than 0.067 kg/year — or in other words, less than 50 grams per year. No other facility in Europe can present such strong measurement data. A leaking heat pump emits more PFAS in a year than Indaver does.

The legal framework for this is still being finalized, but Indaver's results are already being benchmarked:

• The BAT study for PFAS air emission reductions includes a proposed evaluation threshold. Indaver’s emissions are at least 755 times below this threshold.
• VITO and ARCHE have recently proposed a broader set of threshold values in new studies. Though the framework still requires further development and legal formalization, Indaver already complies comfortably with the suggested limits.
• In the Netherlands, the legal limits are much more lenient than in Flanders. Under Dutch environmental law (Activities Decree), 1.2 kg/year is permitted for solids (MVP1, including PFOS), and 19.7 kg/year for gases or vapors (MVP2). With 0.05 kg/year of air emissions, Indaver remains far below even the Dutch standards.

Environmental monitoring is also conducted in the area surrounding the Indaver installation. Based on all available data, independent experts have stated that “no risk is predicted for humans due to chronic exposure via inhalation of the measured PFAS emissions” — not now, nor in the past.

Ultra-short chain PFAS: a new challenge
The ability to detect and analyze PFAS continues to evolve. Indaver will continue investing in performance improvements for the environment.

At the end of 2024, a new definitive measurement method was published in the Belgian Official Gazette. This allows for the detection of even smaller PFAS molecules — the so-called ultra-short chains — in wastewater. Operators of existing water discharges have 18 months to collect data, develop action plans to reduce emissions, or apply for a discharge permit with emission standards.

On April 1, 2025, following extensive consultations with advisory bodies, Indaver submitted an environmental permit application to establish scientifically supported discharge limits for ultra-short chain PFAS.

A solution for PFAS
PFAS will remain present in our society for a long time: in consumer products, in soil where firefighting once took place, in industries that use or produce PFAS. Indaver does not produce PFAS itself — we are part of the solution. We always use the Best Available Technology, both for PFAS waste treatment and for minimizing emissions. We continue to support research and invest, because as a company, we believe it is essential to contribute to a solution that prioritizes the health of people and the planet.