Paul B. Hatzinger

In Situ Treatment of PFAS Using Colloidal Activated Carbon  

Dr. Paul B. Hatzinger, Ph.D., Director, Biotechnology Development and Applications Group, Aptim  

There are currently no proven in situ technologies to destroy PFAS in groundwater aquifers, but in situ amendments designed to adsorb and sequester PFAS are increasingly being evaluated in the laboratory and field tests.  One of the most promising amendments is colloidal activated carbon (CAC). There are a number of important questions concerning CAC application for PFAS, including (1) distribution in aquifers; (2) general effectiveness on different molecular structures comprising PFAS; and (3) long-term adsorption capacity and potential for re-release of PFAS to groundwater. We are currently conducting a field demonstration at a PFAS-contaminated site in Virginia with the objective of answering many of these questions. This demonstration includes site assessment, laboratory column studies, CAC injection and distribution testing, and long-term monitoring of effectiveness. During this presentation, the fundamentals of CAC as a remediation approach for PFAS will be discussed, as will the current results from the Virginia field test as well as other studies of PFAS remediation using CAC.

Dr. Paul Hatzinger is the Director of the Technology Development and Applications Group at APTIM.  He holds a PhD from Cornell University and has more than 25 years of experience in contaminant remediation and forensics. His research group has been instrumental in the development and field application of new remedial approaches for several emerging contaminants and currently has several DoD-funded projects assessing PFAS fate and remediation. He has authored more than 90 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters.