“Emerging Contaminants" can be broadly defined as any synthetic or naturally occurring chemical that is not commonly monitored in the environment. These substances have the potential to enter the environment and cause known or suspected adverse ecological and/or human health effects.

With aging infrastructures, lean and limited personnel, lower budgets, and less accessible, often remote locations, smaller and rural water treatment plants are challenged in maintaining operations while understanding new and important technologies in improving contaminant removal in water treatment. 

In alignment with the recent federal initiatives, Birchtech’s RSSCT Analysis Design Center provides a practical, cost-efficient solution for utilities to enhance PFAS detection.

When designing adsorption systems for PFAS removal, utilities and engineers increasingly rely on RSSCTs (Rapid Small-Scale Column Tests) to compare the performance of granular activated carbon (GAC) or other sorbents. One often overlooked yet critical assumption in RSSCT modeling is the choice between constant diffusivity and proportional diffusivity. Though both approaches are valid, selecting the right model can significantly impact how well bench-scale results translate to full-scale systems.