Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous in landfill leachate. Yet, there has been no cost-effective technology available for treating PFAS in leachate. To mitigate the strong matrix effect of landfill leachate, we proposed and tested a two-step ‘Concentrate-&-Destroy’ technology for treating PFAS from a model landfill leachate through bench- and pilot-scale experiments. The technology was based on an adsorptive photocatalyst (Fe/TNTs@AC). Fe/TNTs@AC was able to selectively adsorb PFAS first and subsequently destroy the pre-concentrated PFAS on the material under UV and in the presence of 0.5 M H2O2. The effective degradation also regenerates the material. Fresh Fe/TNTs@AC at a dosage of 10 g/L removed &gt;95% of 13 PFAS from the leachate, 86% after first regeneration, and 74% when reused three times. Pilot-scale tests preliminarily confirmed the bench-scale results. Fe/TNTs@AC removed &gt;92% of 18 PFAS in 8 h under the field conditions, and when the PFAS-laden solids were subjected to the UV-H2O2 system, ~84% of 16 PFAS in the solid phase were degraded. The ‘Concentrate-&-Destroy’ technique appears promising for treating PFAS in landfill leachate or likely other PFAS-laden wastewaters.

Enhanced removal and destruction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in municipal landfill leachate through a ‘concentrate and destroy’ technology

ACS Fall 2021

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