The storyline is familiar: A new chemical of concern poses a public health risk. In this case, industries have widely used this chemical for decades, but its negative health impacts are just beginning to be studied. The class of chemicals this time is known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, a family of more than 3,000 manufactured chemicals that were put into production in the 1950s. Now amidst a deeper awareness of the health and environmental impact of these chemicals, CETCO has introduced FLUORO-SORB adsorbent, a NSF-certified product that treats PFAS. 

The adsorbent is designed to efficiently bind the entire spectrum of PFAS, including PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS and PFNA, in a wide variety of removal and remediation processes. Its specially modified surface resists competitive adsorption from other water and sediment contaminants.

“It’s a unique product that effectively stabilizes contamination sources and minimizes further migration of the contamination beyond the source area,” says Mike Kozak, CETCO’s vice president. “It can be effectively integrated into most remediation strategies including in situ stabilization and solidification for source zone treatment.”

The media is available in four granule sizes. It can be deployed in flow-through filtration technology for drinking water or groundwater, as a permeable reactive barrier for passive groundwater, for in situ stabilization in source zone treatment, within a CETCO Reactive Core Mat composite geotextile for sediment capping, and in pre- or post-treatment along with other treatment media. The material is NSF/ANSI 61 certified and is manufactured in an ISO9001:2015 facility.

FLUORO-SORB adsorbent can also be combined with traditional technologies as a pre- or post-treatment media, according to Kozak. “As we developed FLUORO-SORB adsorbent, we recognized that widely used adsorbent media perform other essential filtering functions, yet FLUORO-SORB adsorbent could assist with much of the ‘heavy lifting’ when it comes to PFAS and other contaminant removal,” he says. “By doing so, we can help extend the life of other more costly treatment media and provide a more cost-effective treatment solution.”

As the U.S. EPA along with many states and communities on the local level are actively considering new regulations, Kozak believes that employing FLUORO-SORB can help utilities get ahead of the curve.

“It offers stakeholders a versatile and cost-effective solution for treatment of PFAS with the ability to scale into a viable source control solution,” he says. “That’s a much-needed solution for today and tomorrow.” 800-527-9948; www.cetco.com