Chemicals, PFAS, PFOA, PFOS, perfluorinated compounds

Testbed PFAS

RISE coordinated a collaboration research project, Testbed PFAS, together with the Swedish Defence Sector. The project evaluated remediation of PFAS from ground and water, and alternative PFAS-free fire extinguishing agents and methods.

Testbed PFAS

PFAS is a group of chemicals currently used in a large number of products around the world, such as waterproof clothing, electronics, food packaging, cosmetics, ski wax and impregnation products. PFAS has been used extensively in fire extinguishing foams at civilian and military airports, in municipal rescue services and in permanent fire extinguishing systems in industry. PFAS is in principle not degraded in nature and may adversely affect human and animal health.

To help solve the problems, RISE and the Swedish defence sector conducted a research project, Testbed PFAS. The project invited companies, innovators, researchers and others who wanted to test their solutions and products in a professional laboratory environment and at contaminated areas. The collaboration aimed to contribute to society's need for realistic, sustainable and cost-effective post-treatment techniques for PFAS contaminations, as well as to new long-term alternative fire extinguishing agents and extinguishing methods. The work is carried out in two tracks, LEGACY and FUTURE.

Within the Legacy track methods for post-treatment of contaminated water and ground were evaluated. In the Future track alternatives to substitute PFAS in fire extinguishing were evaluated to provide future PFAS-free firefighting.

The project started in 2020 and was run and financed by RISE, the Swedish Armed Forces, the Swedish Defence Material Administration and the Swedish Fortifications Agency.

LEGACY - Evaluations of removal of PFAS from water

Evaluations in lab scale for water:
- Foam fractionation
- Carbon-based technology (graphene)
- Membranes combined with reversed osmosis
- Ion exchange
- Cellulose-based adsorption
- Electrically assisted flocculation combined with MAC (= magnetically activated carbon)
- Supercritical water oxidation
- Chemical addition (detergent) combined with ultrafilter
Evaluation in pilot scale for water: (Tullinge waterworks):
- Carbon-based technology (graphene)
- Membranes combined with reversed osmosis
- Ion exchange
Evaluation in pilot scale for water (The airfield of Ängelholm):
- pretreatment and ion exchange
- pretreatment and PFAS flocculant
Overall conclusions:
- Selection of PFAS removal technologies depends on initial and goal concentrations of PFAS, other contaminants etc.
- A combination of different techniques, a treatment train, has been shown to be successful. Optimization of the different treatment steps usually gives a more cost-effective solution.

FUTURE - evaluations of PFAS-free extingushing agents

During two years, more than 100 extinguishing tests were conducted with PFAS-free extinguishing agents in the fire halls at RISE in Borås. The tests were conducted according to ICAO Level B. The tests showed that the PFAS-free extinguishing agents extinguish a liquid fire (e.g. a burning fuel) within the specified time. The results were used directly in practice by allowing the Air Force to decide to use a new extinguishing agent that does not contain PFAS. The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) was then tasked with procuring a PFAS-free extinguishing agent to be used in the new rescue vehicles (delivered at the end of 2022).