General Atomics‘ electromagnetic systems business unit has demonstrated the capability of its industrial supercritical water oxidation system to eliminate per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances-contaminated leachate from a municipal landfill.
The iSCWO system is being tested at GA-EMS’ facility in San Diego in collaboration with landfill operators to gather test data verifying the technology’s capability to eliminate PFAS and other toxic organic pollutants in leachate, the company said Wednesday.
In April, the Environmental Protection Agency verified the effectiveness of the iSCWO system in destroying PFAS chemicals present in firefighting foam with a 99.99 percent destruction efficiency.
“With thousands of active and closed landfills across the United States discharging leachate into the environment, it is imperative to field systems like iSCWO to destroy PFAS chemicals and end the cycle of contamination,” said Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS.
PFAS is a harmful class of nearly indestructible chemicals that are extremely persistent in the environment and may cause serious health problems.