TalkingPFAS

Removing PFAS from sewage in WWTP using SAFF with Peter Murphy Epoc Enviro Australia - Episode 50 Welcome back to Talking PFAS podcast, and if you are listening for the first time, a very big welcome to you.  I am a journalist, and your host Kayleen Bell, and this is a Sunrise Sound Productions podcast. Due to widespread presence of PFAS globally, wastewater treatment plants have become a sink for PFAS.  That is because PFAS resist degradation by conventional wastewater treatment processes and are usually adsorbed to sewage sludge and biosolids. There have been significant concerns that land application of sewage sludge and biosolids could become a probable pathway for PFAS to enter the food chain. The widespread land application of biosolids as fertiliser may represent a risk from factors such as subsequent PFAS leaching to groundwater, uptake to crops used for food or animal feed, and resulting accumulation in terrestrial and aquatic organisms. As such PFAS in biosolids present major challenges to municipalities that are generating biosolids but are passive receivers of upstream sources of PFAS.  Removing PFAS from the wastewater treatment plants remains a significant challenge. My guest today is Peter Murphy Managing Director of Australian environmental engineering company EPOC Enviro.  Peter is an environmental scientist, and lawyer, who has worked for more than 35 years in the environmental clean-up and remediation space. And Peter has discussed SAFF technology and foam fractionation in detail in the podcast before.  I will put a link to those episodes in the show notes.  Today we will be discussing EPOC Enviro’s latest use of their SAFF technology in a current trial to remove PFAS from wastewater within a wastewater treatment plant in Australia. The location of this trial can not be revealed at this time. Show Notes: I hope you enjoyed today’s episode.  As mentioned in today’s episode I will be bringing you more about this topic in future episodes of Talking PFAS.  Meanwhile please see the links mentioned in today’s episode. Episode 47 Talking PFAS Podcast: Interview with Peter Murphy from EPOC Enviro 04/07/2025 discussing SAFF foam fractionation. https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/talkingpfas/id1434997639?i=1000715666985 Episode 43 Talking PFAS Podcast: Interview with Peter Murphy from EPOC Enviro 26/04/2023 https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/talkingpfas/id1434997639?i=1000610713390 EPOC Enviro https://epocenviro.com/applications/sewage/ Saliu, T.D. & Sauvé, S. (2024), A review of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in biosolids: geographical distribution and regulations Journal: Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry Published: June 2024 DOI: 10.3389/fenvc.2024.1383185 In other PFAS News, CRC Care’s International Clean Up Conference, is being held in Adelaide shortly from the 13-17 September.  As usual there are multiple PFAS sessions listed in their program and I will be attending as many of these as I can to learn what is new.  I hope to interview some speakers at this conference for future episodes of Talking PFAS. If you have found value in this podcast please subscribe so you don’t miss an episode and also I would be grateful if you would share it with friends or colleagues.   Talking PFAS Podcast is listened to in 81 countries currently highlighting this global issue. This is a Sunrise Sound Productions podcast produced by journalist and host Kayleen Bell.  All information is copyright but feel free to share the links to the podcast episode and show notes in their entirety, with attribution. Advertising/Sponsorship contact  (Terms & Conditions do apply & journalism integrity will be maintained) [email protected] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Welcome back to Talking PFAS podcast and if you are joining me for the first time a very big welcome to you.  I am a journalist and your host Kayleen Bell. Last episode I brought you a discussion with Boston Attorney John Gardella from CMBG3 Law.  This was a very informative chat about some PFAS developments in the US, and changes to the US EPA under Trump administration.   Here is a little of what John had to say from Episode 48 where he is talking a change to the environmental justice law in the US. “Under the Biden Administration there was a large initiative for something we call environmental justice, which is essentially that when enacting environmental laws or pursuing sites to clean up that consideration should be made to historically poorer communities and socioeconomic backgrounds, communities where there has been historically a lot of concentration pollution because they have been in an industrial area for example.  And the environmental justice program in the US has been eliminated under the EPA, under the new Trump Administration.” There is a lot of key information in that discussion with John Gardella and I encourage you to take a listen.  I included that little portion from the last episode because in today’s discussion my guest and I will be talking about costs of cleaning up PFAS, and the need to reduce PFAS production.  My guest today is Alison Ling.  She is an Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering and works in the Department of Civil Engineering, at the University of St. Thomas, at St Paul in Minnesota.  Today we will be discussing a couple of her papers.  Here is a little preview from our discussion: “When I first ran those calculations it comes out as millions of dollars per kg of PFAS that you remove from the environment and that is millions of dollars whether it is from wastewater effluent, drinking water, wastewater biosolids, soils.  It is almost across the board millions of dollars per kilogram and I was just blown away by those numbers.  That was way more than I was expecting.  But the thought exercise I went through for this paper is if we keep making and emitting PFAS at the rate that we are emitting them right now, which is on the order of millions of tonnes per year, how much would it cost to remove them at the same rate? And so, if you have millions of tonnes of PFAS per year and it costs millions of dollars per kilogram of PFAS to remove it, if you multiply those numbers you get a number that is similar to or greater than the global GDP.”  This is estimated to be around $106 trillion dollars. I hope you enjoyed today’s discussion, I certainly did.  If you have found value in the Talking PFAS podcast I would be really grateful if you would review and share the podcast so others can find it.  Also please subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.  I will be back with one more feature episode before the end of the year.  I will also be brining you a new product Talking PFAS News which will be a shorter episode 10-15 minutes about PFAS news in Australia and globally.  I am now accepting expressions of interest from sponsors for the Talking PFAS feature and news episodes.  This is open to remediation companies that are cleaning up PFAS and companies that have removed PFAS chemicals from their manufacturing processes and would like the public to know. Please note terms and conditions apply to all sponsorships and I will maintain full editorial control over the content of the episodes.   Thank you to Pete Murphy and EPOC Enviro in Australia for being the first Talking PFAS podcast sponsor.  You can email me at [email protected] with PFAS information or sponsorship enquiries. Thank you again for listening see you next time. LINKS mentioned in today’s episode. “Estimated Scale of Costs to Remove PFAS from the Environment at current emission rates.”   Main webpage not open access/publicly available:  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969724007861.  The full "pre-print" which has the same content is available through the SSRN here: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4718530 “Is Removal and destruction of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances from wastewater effluent affordable.” This one is open access, available here:  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wer.10975 https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2025/01/14/pfas-the-astronomical-cost-of-depolluting-europe_6737022_8.html https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/14/cost-clean-up-toxic-pfas-pollution-forever-chemicals “The Global Threat from the Irreversible Accumulation of Trifluoroacetic Acid (TFA) – ACS Publications” Hans Peter H. Arp, Andrea Gredelj, Juliane Gluge, Martin Scheringer, and Ian T. Cousins https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.4c06189          See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join John Gardella, a renowned environmental lawyer from CMBG3 Law, as he dives into the intricate world of PFAS regulation and litigation. He discusses the dramatic rise of PFAS lawsuits, particularly in South Carolina, and highlights ongoing legal challenges companies face. Gardella sheds light on the upcoming EPA drinking water standards for 2024 and the political influences affecting regulation. With insights on innovative solutions like Epoch Enviro's SAF technology, he emphasizes the urgent need for accountability in tackling PFAS contamination.

In this discussion, Peter Murphy, Managing Director of EPOC Enviro, shares his extensive experience in PFAS remediation, focusing on innovative foam fractionation technology. He explains how their patented SAFF technology is revolutionizing PFAS removal and its global implications. The conversation also delves into the complexities of PFAS regulations and the importance of sustainable practices in environmental management. Peter highlights significant achievements, including treatment of 1.5 billion liters of contaminated water and the integration of eco-friendly biosurfactants.

David Beale, Adjunct Professor and senior research scientist at CSIRO, shares his insights on the alarming effects of PFAS contamination on freshwater turtles in Queensland. He discusses the use of advanced omics tools to assess environmental impacts, revealing troubling health indicators in turtle populations. The conversation highlights the accumulation of PFAS in turtles and its repercussions for reproductive success and ecosystem health. Beale emphasizes the urgent need for more research and innovative solutions to combat the ongoing environmental threat posed by these contaminants.

Dr. Cheng Zhang from the University of Queensland brings his expertise in polymer chemistry to discuss groundbreaking methods for removing PFAS from water and landfill leachate. He delves into the innovative use of PFAS in battery technology, highlighting collaborations aimed at enhancing battery performance while addressing environmental challenges. Zhang also reveals exciting advancements in water purification technology, emphasizing efficient approaches like magnetic particle filtration. His insights shed light on the complexities of PFAS contamination and the urgent need for effective remediation strategies.

In this engaging discussion, guests Paul Nathanail and Scott Warner share their expertise in contaminated land management and groundwater conditions. Paul, a Technical Director with vast experience, and Scott, a seasoned hydrogeologist, delve into innovative remediation techniques for PFAS contamination. They highlight the economic impacts of cleanup efforts and the crucial role of climate adaptation. The conversation also touches on community acceptance, regulatory changes, and cutting-edge monitoring technologies that can enhance remediation strategies. A must-listen for anyone interested in environmental science!

Peter Murphy, Managing Director of EPOC Enviro, dives into the innovative SAFF Foam Fractionation Technology for PFAS remediation. He discusses the challenges of removing short-chain PFAS and the financial implications of cleanup on private properties. The conversation highlights the advancements in SAF system manufacturing and the company’s expansion into the U.S. market. Murphy also explores the complexities of regulatory advancements and the importance of ongoing monitoring in water treatment, emphasizing the urgent need for effective solutions to combat global PFAS contamination.

John Gardella, a Boston attorney from CMBG3 Law, specializes in PFAS litigation and frequently writes for the National Law Review. In this discussion, he unpackages the U.S. EPA's proposed regulations on PFAS in drinking water, highlighting implications for public health. The conversation explores California’s Proposition 65 and emerging lawsuits against cosmetic companies for PFAS contamination. Gardella emphasizes the urgent need for robust scientific evidence and equitable funding for communities impacted by these harmful substances.

Scott Coffin, a Research Scientist with the California State Water Resources Control Board, opens up about the critical PFAS contamination issues in California’s drinking water. He discusses the state’s transparency laws under the Open Water Data Act, ensuring public access to environmental data. Scott also highlights innovative monitoring techniques using machine learning to predict contamination levels. He emphasizes the importance of community education on safe drinking water and calls for collaborative efforts to tackle the persistent challenge of PFAS and other pollutants.