Amount awarded: £1,781,200
Led by: Severn Trent Water
Partners: Cranfield University, Hafren Dyfrdwy Cyfyngedig, Scottish Water, Southern Water, Spring Innovation Ltd, Thames Water, Yorkshire Water
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are synthetic chemical compounds that exist in water. Most PFAS are so durable that they won’t break down in the environment for many years, earning them the nickname “forever chemicals.” The project will investigate treatment options for removing and destroying concentrations of PFAS from water.
“The water industry is continuing to investigate the issues of man-made chemicals in wastewater. Severn Trent is on the front foot with innovations and pilot testing. This new project will create a solution from a combination of technologies we believe will be useful across the water sector and further afield.” – Rich Walwyn, Head Of Asset Intelligence & Innovation, Severn Trent Water
Since the baseline report update, the project has focused on identifying potential technologies and suppliers which we want to consider for phase 1 trial of the project for Workstream 1: Liquid and solid waste streams. As part of this process, we have undertaken an extensive horizon scan of both PFAS removal and destruction technologies. This has enabled us to understand the characteristics of the waste streams generated by the PFAS removal technologies likely to be used by the water industry. We have met with 18 different PFAS destruction technology suppliers and have ranked them according to the success criteria we have developed with Cranfield University. We have reached out to 6 suppliers to request bench scale systems, 1 of which has declined and 5 are working on quotes. We are now recruiting two post-doctoral researchers who will undertake the work in Phase 1 and have conducted 12 interviews to recruit the two positions for the project and have offered the positions to two candidates. We are waiting to hear back with regards acceptance. We have commenced work on the identification of key PFAS compounds to target and possible by-products and this will be formalised once the post-doctoral researchers are in post.
For more information on PFAS – A whole system approach to an impossible problem, take a look at the following resources:
