The SAFF PFAS sewage treatment trial has entered full-scale evaluation in Australia as utilities and regulators intensify focus on emerging contaminants in wastewater and biosolids.
Australian environmental engineering company EPOC Enviro has commenced a large-scale trial of its patented Surface-Active Foam Fractionation (SAFF®) technology at a wastewater treatment facility following strong bench-scale PFAS removal results.
The company said the trial is assessing the ability of the technology to remove PFAS compounds from multiple interception points within a sewage treatment process under operational conditions.
PFAS removal trial targets wastewater and biosolids
According to EPOC Enviro, earlier testing demonstrated more than 97% removal of total PFAS compounds in the liquid wastewater phase and more than 80% removal from biosolids. The company also reported removal rates exceeding 99% for certain C6 PFAS chemistries.
The SAFF PFAS sewage treatment trial is now in its third month at a confidential Australian site.
EPOC Enviro said the project is designed to address what it describes as a major gap in global PFAS pollution control, where contaminants can pass through conventional sewage treatment processes before entering waterways or agricultural land via biosolids reuse.
Early operational data from the field trial reportedly indicates removal performance exceeding Australian NEPM 3.0 regulatory requirements for PFAS remediation.
Growing concern over PFAS in wastewater infrastructure
PFAS compounds, often referred to as “forever chemicals”, are increasingly becoming a major challenge for wastewater utilities globally due to their persistence and mobility in the environment.
Many wastewater treatment facilities were not originally designed to remove PFAS compounds, raising concerns about contaminant discharge into rivers, soils and agricultural systems.
Utilities across multiple regions are now evaluating advanced treatment technologies capable of addressing PFAS within both liquid waste streams and biosolids.
EPOC Enviro stated that the company is preparing additional full-scale sewage treatment deployments in the United States and Europe following the Australian trial.
What the SAFF PFAS sewage treatment trial means for the sector
The SAFF PFAS sewage treatment trial highlights growing industry efforts to move beyond containment and towards active PFAS remediation within wastewater systems.
PFAS management has become increasingly complex for utilities as monitoring expands and regulatory expectations tighten internationally.
One of the major technical challenges for utilities is the high solids loading within sewage systems, which can complicate contaminant separation and treatment processes.
The SAFF technology uses foam fractionation principles, exploiting the hydrophilic and hydrophobic characteristics of PFAS molecules to separate contaminants via rising air bubbles and concentrated foam removal.
As regulators continue to evaluate future PFAS discharge and biosolids standards, scalable treatment systems are likely to become an increasingly important focus area for wastewater operators.
For more on PFAS treatment and emerging contaminant technologies, visit our Pollution coverage.
Technology developed for large-scale deployment
EPOC Enviro said SAFF® technology has treated more than 1.8 billion litres of PFAS-impacted water since its launch in 2018, including landfill leachate, industrial wastewater, groundwater and reverse osmosis concentrate streams.
The company said the technology was developed using sustainable engineering and green chemistry principles to support long-term environmental remediation strategies.
Further developments in PFAS treatment and wastewater infrastructure can be explored in our Wastewater section.
