Water & Carbon Group deploys PFAS treatment at Bethlehem Landfill

The Water & Carbon Group, a company based in Australia, has deployed its LEEF (Low Energy Evaporative Fractionation) System to treat per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in landfill leachate at the Bethlehem Landfill located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which is owned and operated by Bethlehem Landfill Co., a Waste Connections company.

This collaboration demonstrates Bethlehem Landfill Co.’s commitment to taking proactive steps to address PFAS present in landfill leachate, the Water & Carbon Group says.

Water & Carbon Group CEO Jim Hunter says he looks forward to partnering with Bethlehem Landfill Co., along with Leachate Management Specialists, a Parker, Colorado-based firm which has been showcasing the technology.

“Our treatment solution represents a significant step forward in treating PFAS in leachate. The LEEF System uses an advanced foam fractionation process and proprietary techniques to consistently achieve PFAS removal from water and high-strength wastewater, such as landfill leachate,” Hunter says. “The LEEF System was developed [to treat] landfill leachate [after] years of research and rigorous testing on a wide range of waste streams, including those with high levels of co-contamination. It has already achieved great success, demonstrating treatment of some of the most challenging leachates in the United States.” 

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PFAS are a man-made group of chemicals, commonly known as “forever chemicals,” that have been manufactured for use in a wide range of consumer and commercial products. As these products reach their end of life and are discarded, they eventually find their way into landfills. Bethlehem Landfill, as a passive receiver of PFAS-containing waste, works to properly sequester as much of the PFAS present in those wastes as possible and is partnering with the Water & Carbon Group to treat the PFAS.

“Bethlehem Landfill has been working with the Water & Carbon Group, Leachate Management Specialists and the LEEF System for the past 12 months, and we are excited to continue this partnership in order to reduce PFAS concentration in leachate generated at Bethlehem Landfill,” Bethlehem Landfill Co. Engineering Manager Matt Crockett.

Brad Granley, president and founder of Leachate Management Specialists, says he is pleased with the successful testing of the LEEF System, which he says has demonstrated the adaptability to treat a diverse range of leachates, including some of the most challenging in the United States.

“I have been thoroughly impressed with the integrity and expertise of the Water & Carbon Group, and, of course, we are thrilled to team with an environmentally conscious company like Bethlehem Landfill Company on the first of many LEEF System installations across our industry that will maintain disposal access at wastewater treatment plants. The environmental and financial benefits that will be realized by our clients by using this now-proven PFAS removal solution cannot be underestimated.”

The LEEF System has been successfully deployed at full scale in Australia, there have been numerous successful demonstrations carried out across seven states in the United States, says The Water & Carbon Group.