Thursday 9th July, 1-4:30pm BST / 8-11:30am ET

​1pm BST / 8am ET

​​Welcome from Environment Analyst 

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​​​Session 5: Investigating, Analysing and Monitoring Contaminants in Surface, Ground, Storm and Drinking Water

PFAS discussion

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• Innovative methods and approaches for investigating, fate and transport modelling, risk assessing, analysing and monitoring PFAS in surface, groundwater and stormwater

• The implications of current and proposed regulations:

  • UK Environment Agency’s approach to Groundwater Detailed Quantitative Risk Assessment (DQRA) for PFAS 

  • UK Chief Scientist’s Group health-based thresholds for managing PFAS in water 

  • EU updates to the Groundwater Directive, Water Framework Directive and Environmental Quality Standards Directive to include PFAS as priority pollutants 

  • Proposed ECHA classification of trifluoroacetic Acid (TFA) as Reproductive Toxicant Category 1B, and a PMT/vPvM substance 

  • State-level discrepancies in the US on the classification of ultrashort compounds  

  • Considering what future controls and regulations are needed to reduce the impact of PFAS 

• Research into the investigations of trifluoroacetic Acid (TFA) in water and ways to manage its exposure

• Barriers to managing PFAS at source

• Exploring the global development of alternative substances for PFAS in water

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Chair: Marie Raffin, Associate Director, WSP UK

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Panellists:

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• Oliver Loebel, Secretary General, EurEau (European Water Services)

• Gemma Nicholson, Raw Water Catchment Risk Manager, Yorkshire Water

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Sedimentary emerging and persistent contaminants across the river-estuarine continuum

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In this presentation, Dr Christopher Vane will discuss  the British Geological Survey's research into the temporal and spatial distribution of 6PPD-quinone, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, trace metals and microplastics in the Thames estuary, Singapore Straits and urban Nairobi River.

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• Sediments from different tidal Thames domains including urban/industrial creeks of east London, Kent/Essex salt marshes and central London foreshore close to outfalls as well as inner Thames mud islands (Eyots) present different overlapping pollutant histories, total inventories and therefore pose different risks to ecology.
   

• Urban waterway sediments adjacent to Nairobi’s slums present a unique cocktail of pollutants characterised by organic contaminants associated with raw sewage and local activities.
   

• Coastal sediment cores from one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes (Straits Singapore) show rising accumulation of common pharma and food chemicals such as caffeine; but are the trends real or an artefact of preferential transfer and degradation?

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Dr Christopher Vane, Head of Organic Geochemistry​, British Geological Survey (BGS) 

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Session 6: Innovative Approaches and Technologies for Remediating Contaminants in Surface, Ground, Storm and Drinking Water 

This session will include case study presentations showcasing novel approaches and pioneering technologies for remediating, mitigating and destroying PFAS in ground and drinking water.

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Where Biology Meets PFAS Treatment: The PEIR Barrier Approach

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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) present a persistent groundwater challenge due to mobility, resistance to degradation, and increasingly stringent regulatory limits. Current management approaches rely on ex-situ treatment systems that generate waste and long-term operating commitments, or on in-situ sorbent media that reduce plume migration but may be constrained by capacity and uncertainty around short chain PFAS retention.

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The Phyto-Enhanced In-Situ Retention (PEIR) Barrier integrates complementary technologies to improve PFAS management within a single treatment approach. Carbon-based sorption media placed in the aquifer provides effective retention of long chain PFAS that are the focus of current regulations. A plant-based hydraulic control component directs groundwater through the treatment zone, increasing contact with sorption media and limiting downgradient migration. Within the rhizosphere, additional sorption capacity captures short chain PFAS that are taken up during the growing season and returned to the subsurface through nutrient cycling prior to leaf drop. Endophyte amendments further enhance retention by modifying rhizosphere conditions.

By combining these processes, the PEIR Barrier is designed to address both currently regulated PFAS and those likely to be regulated in the near term, reducing the need for sequential remedies. Field applications demonstrate sustained reduction in PFAS concentrations and mass flux, with the system providing a scalable alternative to pump and treat systems at a fraction of lifecycle cost where long-term containment is the primary objective.

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Leonard Mankowski, Vice President, Geology, WSP in the US​​​

Surface Modified Clay Capturing PFAS: Insights into Pilot and Full-Scale Applications of FLUORO-SORB® Adsorbent 

Contamination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water has become a major topic of discussion amongst local, state, and federal regulators in order to protect public health. Sequestration of PFAS has become a major topic of interest, as regulators across the world begin implementing maximum contaminants limits in drinking water.  

PFAS selective surface modified clay adsorbent, FLUORO-SORB® Adsorbent, was developed as an alternative adsorptive media to anion exchange resins (IX) and granular activated carbon (GAC). FLUORO-SORB Adsorbent has been deployed in a wide range of applications and has shown PFAS removal efficiency with strong selectivity and high capacity through several pilots and full-scale installations. Pilot evaluations indicate that FLUORO-SORB Adsorbent has similar adsorption capacity as commercial IX and displays 3-5 times the bed-life of GAC. The selectivity of FLUORO-SORB Adsorbent supports the performance and adsorption capacity since it neglects common co-contaminants like dissolved organic matter and common salts like nitrates, and sulfates.  

This presentation will highlight several case studies at both the full and pilot scales, where FLUORO-SORB Adsorbent has been implemented with success and will discuss system designs, economic considerations, and troubleshooting. 

 
Rebecca Dickman Ph.D., Technical Services Manager, CETCO

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Short comfort break

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Session 7: Investigating, Monitoring and Remediating Contaminants in Wastewater and Biosolids

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PFAS in Biosolids: Contamination Pathway and Regulatory Developments

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This presentation will cover the movement of PFAS from wastewater to biosolids, agricultural land, and food products. It will then examine the different federal regulatory mechanisms in place that could address this contamination pathway, how those regulations have been utilized, and regulatory measures that individual states have taken. 

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Anna Watson, Water Policy Specialist; Sea Grant UW Water Science-Policy Fellow at the Center for Water Policy, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee​

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Case Studies of Remediation and Treatment Approaches 

Learn novel remediation and emerging treatment approaches for contaminants in wastewater and biosolids, through practical case studies.

PFAS in biosolids : Where we are and where we’re going

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​WSSC Water will be providing a preview of findings from multiple efforts and studies to reduce PFAS in wastewater and biosolids as state limits march forward. 

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Dr Priscilla To, PhD, PE, Director, Operational Reliability and Resilience, WSSC Water​​

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Technoeconomic Analysis of Alternatives to Biosolids Land Application

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This session will explore alternatives to biosolids land application and share case study examples.

• Need for a wholistic comparison of alternatives to inform decision making.

• Alternate options in decreasing order of technical readiness include landfilling, dewatering and incineration, thermal drying and pyrolysis, and supercritical water oxidation.

• Most have poor economy of scale, so scenarios considered for Minnesota as a case study consider either three large regional facilities or ten small regional facilities.

• Estimated costs will be presented for wholesale, statewide transition to each alternative

• Additional considerations for regional facility operation, and for individual WWTP operation in terms of anaerobic digestion, dewatering, and trucking.

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Ali Ling, PhD, PE, Assistant Professor Civil Engineering, University of St Thomas, US​

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Degrading PFAS in semiconductor manufacturing wastewater using photocatalysis  

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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent contaminants in semiconductor manufacturing wastewater, posing significant environmental and regulatory challenges.

I will present the first published results on reactor-scale boron nitride (BN) photocatalysis as an energy-efficient method for degrading PFAS in semiconductor wastewater. BN + UV achieved over 99.8% removal of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in 1 hour and 88% defluorination after 7 hours, outperforming TiO2 and UV-only treatments. BN photocatalysis showed the lowest energy consumption (EEO = 1.82 kWh/m³) and effectively removed all long-chain PFAS in a 13-compound mixture, though short-chain sulfonates like PFBS remained persistent. BN photocatalysis is a promising, scalable solution for destructive PFAS treatment in complex industrial effluents.

Michael Wong, Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice Water Institute, Rice University, USA

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Closing remarks and end of Day Three

​​​1:05pm BST / 8:05am ET

2:15pm BST / 9:15am ET