​​PFAS Research & Development at WSP​

WSP* is committed to developing practical and sustainable solutions to resolve the challenges posed by Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). Our PFAS subject matter experts have been collaborating with academia, industrial partners and governments worldwide on innovation and applied research with very promising results.

Over the past decades, thousands of PFAS have been developed for different applications in industrial processes and products, in a variety of market sectors including government, infrastructure, transportation, manufacturing, oil and gas, power and mining. PFAS are challenging to manage because of the number of PFAS present and the unique chemical and physical properties that each group has, which affect how the substances migrate in the environment and their persistence.

Despite the significant work by the environmental industry, there remains gaps regarding PFAS’ testing, transport, toxicity as well as methods to efficiently and effectively treat these contaminants. At WSP we have focused our efforts to address these challenges.

The following is a summary of some of our solutions and ground-breaking results on PFAS innovation and applied research.

Destructive PFAS Treatment Technologies

Our primary focus has been the development of treatment technologies that can break the PFAS cycle. This led to the commercialization of electro-oxidation for PFAS destruction in liquids, and current scale-up and optimization of ball milling for the destruction of PFAS in soils. We are proud that these technologies were identified by the US EPA’s PFAS Innovative Treatment Team (PITT) among the top four promising technologies for destroying PFAS. 

Electro-Oxidation to Destroy PFAS in Effluent Streams

This technology is based on the use of long-lasting boron-doped-diamond electrodes generating hydroxyl radicals to destroy PFAS in water without the use of chemicals and without producing waste.

WSP’s EO has been successfully tested to destroy PFAS below the US EPA Drinking Water Health Advisory Levels, the Health Canada Criteria and several more stringent standards. The technology is effective for all types of PFAS, scalable, long-lasting and typically treats PFAS in one to two hours, thereby making the technology highly efficient with minimal operation and maintenance requirements. The technology has been successfully tested and optimized in the lab on several effluents and is being used for commercial applications.

The development work has been done in collaboration with the department of Civil Engineering from McGill University.

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Ball Milling to Destroy PFAS in Soil

In this research we have partnered with Queen’s University, Royal Military College of Canada and a global Oil and Gas corporation to destroy PFAS in soil using ball milling. This technique is showing very promising results, with significant destruction of all the PFAS measured in laboratory and using field soils. WSP is now working with the research team on further optimization, scaling and field implementation. A patent application has been filed.

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More Treatment Tools for the Environmental Industry

To offer a wider range of solutions to the environmental industry to complement destructive technologies, WSP has started a new applied research and development project. Its objective is the development of innovative, cost-effective, and sustainable approaches based on the use of clay minerals for in situ and ex situ treatment of PFAS impacted ground- and surface water, wastewater, soil, and sediment.

We are working with McGill University in Canada, Newcastle University in the UK and CETCO/Mineral Technologies Inc. in the US to develop a new approach that uses reactive and self-regenerating Fe-containing clay minerals for remediation of PFAS source zones via radical-accelerated PFAS degradation. In parallel, we will advance the modified bentonite adsorbents technology to demonstrate that low-cost clay adsorbents are superior alternatives to other sorbent materials with high fouling resistance.

We are also supporting Queen’s University and the Royal Military College of Canada on the feasibility of biodegradation of PFAS utilizing white rot fungi and to identify the key mechanisms and optimization for the destruction of PFAS at high temperatures.

Innovation on PFAS Testing, Fate and Transport, and Risk Assessment

We have been investing to enhance the knowledge on PFAS fate and transport, development of alternative testing and analytical tools as well as identification of supporting tools for efficient risk assessments:

• PFAS transport in porous media: The adsorption of PFAS at air-water interface has become known to critically affect PFAS transport. This is relevant for contaminant transport in the unsaturated zone as well as in the saturated zone where trapped gas can be created by natural processes and remediation-based mechanisms. We supported Queen’s University to investigate the effects of trapped gas bubbles on PFAS contaminant transport in puros media and assessment of competition between PFAS for adsorption to the air-water interface.
• PFAS Passive Sampler: The development of a PFAS passive monitoring method represents a ground-breaking advance for site and risk assessments to measure the dissolved PFAS fraction that drives toxicity. To support this, we assisted with testing and development of an equilibrium passive sampler for the measurement of ionic and neutral PFAS in groundwater, surface water and pore water. Other advantages for this type of sampler include improved detection limits, no disturbance of water column, lower risk of cross-contamination, less time in the field and no water disposal.
• New Analytical Tools and Better Understanding of Toxicity Drivers: This research includes developing and optimizing analytical protocols for measurement of total organic fluorine at lower detection limits as a reliable and cost-effective screening tool; understanding the fate of structurally different PFAS by studying mobility and parameters affecting speciation; investigating toxicity drivers and establishing effect-oriented chemical and biological analysis using mechanistic studies and metabolomics to support risk assessments.

With our ongoing work and the exiting results, we are uncovering leading edge solutions that push the boundaries of scientific discovery and deliver cost-effective services to clients around the world.

To learn more:

• For detailed information on each of the research projects listed above and for the list of Golder’s PFAS R&D Leads that contributed to this article,  download this PDF.
• Members of the media interested in interviewing a member of our PFAS research team, please email [email protected]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stefano Marconetto, is a Global PFAS SME and Senior Principal Environmental Engineer at WSP, working out of Ottawa, Ontario. Stefano has provided strategic and technical direction on PFAS projects for government and private clients across all market sectors globally for over a decade. He is a technical advisor for several PFAS research projects in collaboration with academia and industrial partners.

Note: The research and development of these technologies was initially conducted by Golder professionals who joined WSP in an acquisition completed in 2021.