Environmental services firm SANEXEN has been contracted to provide continuous full-scale remediation of PFAS from landfill leachate and wastewaters for one of Canada’s largest waste haulers, a partnership that may be the first of its kind.
Working under its ALTRA brand, SANEXEN officials say the new contract with Waste Connections aims to achieve a guaranteed level of removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, for landfill operators and the industrial waste management industry.
Initially, ALTRA | SANEXEN will provide and operate its PFAS removal technology at Waste Connections’ landfills in the Rosemount community of Minnesota for the next 10 years.
Waste Connections estimates that it generates more than 650 million gallons of leachate each year at its landfills.
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“ALTRA PFAS Solution is the culmination of years of development, extensive pilots in the most complex conditions and it is the leading way to remove a significant amount of PFAS from leachate with the confidence that can only be realized through years of experience in the field,” announced Martin Bureau, VP of innovation for ALTRA | SANEXEN.
Studies have found links between exposure to certain PFAS compounds and increased risk of some cancers. The man-made chemicals have been used in products such as firefighting foams, non-stick applications, and cosmetics.
ALTRA’s removal method relies primarily on adsorption media using activated carbon or ion exchange resins. The company says it combines its foam fractionation technology with high-performing modular units operating in continuous mode to treat large volumes of water contaminants. Foam fractionation is a process commonly used in aquariums for the removal of organic waste.
ALTRA estimates that its team has treated some 10 billion litres of contaminated water for industrial customers.
In January, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its intention to create an Effluent Guidelines Program Plan. Called Plan 15, the move, in part, is designed to reduce PFAS in leachate discharges from landfills. The plan comes on the heels of a study of 200 landfills the EPA conducted in September 2021, which found PFAS was present in leachate at 95% of the locations.
