Jamie Bennet
The Environmental Protection Agency verified the effectiveness of an industrial supercritical water oxidation system in destroying a potentially harmful class of chemical substances.
General Atomics’ electromagnetic systems business said Monday its iSWCO process incinerated at least 99.99 percent of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances present in firefighting foam, and its findings were documented and affirmed by EPA.
The test involved aqueous film forming foam, a substance used in putting out fires such as jet fuel combustion. The iSWCO technology works by breaking down organic waste with water, and processing the result in supercritical heat and pressure to eliminate hazardous and non-hazardous chemicals.
The separated carbon dioxide, water and benign salts can be released into the environment or at treatment plants without the need for off-site post-treatment processing.
“With the Pentagon’s recent ban on incinerating PFAS-containing items, including PFAS-ladened firefighting foam, there is now greater urgency to implement a more efficient, environmentally sound solution for the destruction of these chemicals,” said GA-EMS President Scott Forney.
