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Michigan Landfill Leachate PFAS Destruction

Learn how H2Plus helped a mid-sized city eliminate PFAS contamination from its water supply, ensuring clean, safe drinking water for its residents.

Introduction

In October 2024, H2Plus Technologies conducted an in-depth pilot study at the Michigan Landfill in Michigan to address the persistent issue of PFAS contamination in landfill leachate. PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” pose significant environmental and health risks due to their resistance to degradation. These synthetic compounds accumulate in water systems, making them difficult to remove with traditional water treatment methods. The primary objective was to reduce PFAS levels below regulatory discharge limits before the leachate entered existing treatment systems, ensuring compliance with stringent environmental regulations.

The Challenge

The landfill faced increasing regulatory pressure to mitigate PFAS contamination in its landfill leachate. The challenge was to find a technology that could effectively reduce PFAS concentrations to levels compliant with upcoming discharge regulations while minimizing operational costs and environmental impact.

Specific challenges included:

High initial concentrations of PFAS compounds, including PFOA, PFOS, and short-chain PFAS
Variability in leachate composition before and after the dissolved air flotation (DAF) system
The need for scalable, energy-efficient treatment to meet sustainability goals
Ensuring treatment efficacy across diverse PFAS compounds

Solution: H2Plus Hydrated Electron Technology

H2Plus deployed its state-of-the-art Mobile PFAS Destruction Unit to perform scalable pilot tests. The system utilizes a proprietary plasma-based technology that generates hydrated electrons to break the strong carbon-fluorine (C-F) bonds in PFAS molecules. This innovative process transforms PFAS into harmless byproducts such as calcium fluoride, carbon dioxide, water, and sulfate.

Key Aspects of the Solution:

Advanced Hydrated Electron Technology: Targets and destroys PFAS at the molecular level.
Energy Efficiency: Operates at significantly lower energy consumption compared to traditional PFAS removal technologies.
Scalability: Designed for easy deployment in landfill sites with varying leachate volumes.
Environmental Compliance: Meets and exceeds regulatory discharge limits for PFAS.

Implementation and Results

H2Plus conducted four pilot tests under the supervision of company personnel, environmental engineering firm ERG, and a certified third-party laboratory, Symbio/Infinite Chemical. The tests included samples collected both before and after the DAF system to evaluate the technology’s performance under different conditions.

Test #5 delivered the most impressive results, reducing PFOA levels from 1885.62 ng/L to just 2.916 ng/L and PFOS from 1214.86 ng/L to 37.298 ng/L within 60 minutes of treatment. These results were significantly below the regulatory thresholds of 2600 ng/L for PFOA and 170 ng/L for PFOS. The system operated with remarkable energy efficiency, consuming only 11.262 kWh during the pilot phase. Foam samples from the reactor showed little to no PFAS presence, confirming that the chemicals were being destroyed rather than merely transferred to another phase.

Conclusion

The pilot study conclusively demonstrated that H2Plus technology is a powerful, sustainable solution for PFAS destruction in landfill leachate. Its ability to achieve regulatory compliance with low energy consumption positions H2Plus as a leader in PFAS remediation. This technology offers landfill operators a cost-effective, environmentally responsible method to tackle PFAS contamination.