General Atomics Destroys PFAS "Forever Chemicals" In Biosolids Waste

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) announced today that its industrial Supercritical Water Oxidation (iSCWO) system successfully destroyed per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in biosolids waste from samples provided by two Southern California waste management facilities. GA-EMS is providing the test analysis to both companies to evaluate the potential for utilizing an on-site iSCWO system to destroy PFAS in biosolids. The test analysis will also be made available to other remediation companies upon request.

“Wastewater treatment plants provide nutrient rich biosolids filtered from wastewater to help amend and fertilize soil. PFAS is a unique class of forever chemicals that cannot be eliminated from biosolids using existing treatment processes,’ said Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS. “Putting these contaminated biosolids back into the soil allows the PFAS to reenter the environment, perpetuating a constant cycle of contamination. Our proven iSCWO system offers remediation companies an effective solution to eliminate PFAS and other organic waste completely from biosolids, landfill leachate and wastewater before these toxic forever chemicals have another chance to be cycled back into our environment.”   

GA-EMS’ iSCWO system processes organic waste with water in an extremely high temperature (650F) and high pressure (4000 psi) environment to efficiently destroy both PFAS and other hazardous and non-hazardous waste. The system is safe to operate, environmentally sound, and cost-effective. There is no post-treatment required, no gas and liquid emissions to deal with, and no hazardous by-products to store, transport, or dispose of.  

Tests were conducted at GA-EMS’s dedicated iSCWO full-scale test facility in San Diego, CA. In 2022, the EPA issued a detailed report documenting the first-ever test and verification of PFAS destruction efficiency greater than 99.99% using GA-EMS’ industrial-scale SCWO technology.