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Republic Services Partners With Air Force Civil Engineers on PFAS Remediation
Partnering with Wurtsmith Air Force Base to assist in PFAS remediation, including the removal, transportation and safe disposal of large amounts of contaminated waste.Byline: BTB Editor
June 1, 2023 / Time to read: 5 minPFAS is a group of hazardous chemicals found in fire extinguishing foam, water-proofing chemicals, household products, fertilizer, and food wrappers. Unfortunately, these chemicals can be harmful to human health. The EPA estimates that 6 million Americans live near 26,000 contaminated sites believed to be
What is PFAS Remediation?
Because PFAS are so common, so are contaminated sites. The
According to the EPA, people should have a maximum lifetime exposure to PFOS and PFOA of just
How it works
To clean up PFAS, you need to neutralize it using a sorbent material so it doesn’t leach into the groundwater. Sorbent materials that either absorb or attract and stick to PFAS, keeping them from flowing into groundwater when it rains, snows, or floods contaminated soil. PFAS neutralizing materials include carbon, mineral, resin, biomaterial and molecular imprinted polymer sorbents.
Contaminated soil can either be excavated for treatment or remediated in situ.
Republic Services PFAS turnkey PFAS remediation, transportation and disposal solutions
- RCRA Subtitle C secure PFAS disposal, including arid climate with zero leachate at two western US landfills
- Subtitle D disposal
- Liquid and liquid phase disposal at underground injection well disposal sites
- Thermal treatment systems in Alaska capable of meeting water quality standards set by local PTOWs
Excavation method for PFAS remediation
Excavation methods involve digging up contaminated soil before treating it, and it can be done in two ways: Sloping and sheet piling.
The sloping technique uses a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane that’s stretched over a sloped treatment area to keep leachate from contaminating the ground beneath. We pile contaminated soil on top, then saturate it with water containing the treatment medium. Gravity carries the water and neutralized PFAS to a collection pipe, where PFAS levels are measured. Then the PFAS is treated onsite or transported to a treatment or disposal site.
The sheet piling technique is used when there’s no slope to the ground and creating one is impractical. Without a slope to carry contaminated materials to a collection pipe, corrugated metal sheets (called sheet piles) are used to contain and aim the flow. This involves shipping in additional materials and can rack up added costs.
In situ method for PFAS remediation
In situ cleanup works by saturating the ground with water and a remediation medium to neutralize the PFAS. The resulting leachate is pumped back up to the surface for treatment.
Remediation success: Wurtsmith Air Force Base
Us Ecology, a recent Republic Services acquisition, teamed up with the Air Force to clean up the PFAS at the Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Iosco County, Michigan. The site was used as an active operational base until 1993, when it became training grounds for firefighting. Since then, firefighting personnel trained at the base using Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) — a substance containing two PFAS: PFOS and PFOA. Tests revealed that these chemicals were concentrated in local groundwater at 100 times the normal level.
We had a tight timeline — just 90 days to remediate, remove, and properly dispose of massive amounts of PFAS. Thanks to an expert team and professional-grade equipment, we safely moved over 24,000 tons of PFAS-contaminated soil to our Belleville PFAS facility — and wrapped up the project under budget and three weeks ahead of schedule.
Republic Services PFAS cleanup
PFAS are common contaminants, especially near industrial sites, military fire training areas, AFFF certified airports and wastewater treatment plants. Remediation is critical for preventing more of these chemicals from entering the environment and drinking water, but the process can be difficult and expensive.
We take care of PFAS using advanced techniques that save you both time and money while safely and compliantly remediating the area. It all starts with an evaluation of contamination levels and solutions tailored to you.
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