Remediation Solution
Remediation Approach
Technology
Media Treated
Industry
Contaminant Type
Contaminant of Concern
Location
Extremely high PFAS contamination (33,142,900 ng/L) from aircraft rescue firefighting foam (AFFF) rinse water at a Midwest airport required treatment across a complex mixture of long- and short-chain PFAS compounds. A controlled laboratory study was designed to evaluate the relative performance of combined versus single-technology treatment approaches over 26 weeks.
A comparative 26-week bench-scale study was conducted: three totes received BAM Ultra combined with PFAS-degrading bacteria, while one tote received bacteria alone as a control. Treatment performance was evaluated through sequential sampling events to characterize degradation kinetics and intermediate compound formation.
By week 15, large-chain PFAS compounds were non-detectable in all three combined BAM Ultra and PFAS-degrading bacteria treatment totes. By week 26, near non-detect concentrations were achieved for all PFAS compounds—greater than 99% total reduction from the initial 33,142,900 ng/L AFFF rinse water contamination at the Midwest airport. The bacteria-only control tote experienced a temporary PFAS concentration increase at week 9 due to breakdown of long-chain compounds into short-chain intermediates—a transformation that was suppressed in the BAM-containing totes, where BAM captured intermediate compounds as they formed. The 26-week bench-scale study confirmed the performance advantage of the combined treatment approach over bacteria alone.
Superfund ISTR Under Strict Air Emission Limits
Bioremediation for PFAS
High-Profile ISTR of Historic Chemical Disposal Impacts
