Client: USACE Sacramento
Location: Beale AFB, CA and Hill AFB, UT
Scope of Work:
- Treatability studies
Brice investigated potential solutions for the treatment of PFAS contamination in groundwater from past AFFF use at Beale AFB, California and Hill AFB, Utah. We mobilized a team of scientists and engineers to conduct pilot/treatability studies at both sites to determine the most reasonable, feasible, and practicable method to treat PFAS. We reviewed planning documents and historical records, oversaw permit applications and approvals, and led technical meetings with USACE, AFCEC, and regulators during the development of alternatives for evaluation. We performed groundwater sampling events, coordinated with our chemistry team for data collection and validation.
Beale AFB. At Beale AFB, Brice evaluated the following three technologies:
- Surface active foam fractionation (SAFF)
- Air supercritical water oxidation (AirSCWO)
- Hydrothermal alkaline treatment (HALT)
The goals of this study were to:
- Identify a treatment system that can reduce, preferably via destructive technologies, PFAS concentrations in the effluent at the CG044-013 Groundwater Treatment System prior to discharge to Hutchinson Creek and to continue to meet the substantive requirements stipulated in the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit.
- Determine the most reasonable, feasible, and practicable method for the treatment of PFAS in groundwater from past aqueous film forming foam use at Beale AFB and develop a decision document to address changes to the CG044-013 GTS that will be used to treat groundwater from CG044P-SUB.
Hill AFB. Based on the detections of PFAS greater than the LHA, Brice performed a field pilot study of the two following destructive treatment technologies to address PFAS in the existing remediation system groundwater effluent at OU 1:
- Super critical water oxidation (SCWO)
- Electrical discharge plasma (Plasma)
The Hill AFB pilot study goal was to assess the efficacy and feasibility of implementing potential destructive technologies that could achieve the following:
- Reduce concentrations of PFAS in the effluent of OU 1 to levels below project screening levels.
- Continue to meet the requirements stipulated in the POTW discharge permit for CWSID.
- Be implemented in conjunction with the current remedial action at OU 1.
- Operate as designed with no adverse impacts on site-specific chemicals of concern (COCs) and effluent water quality.
Brice evaluated the results of each study in conjunction with other proven nondestructive PFAS treatment technologies in a final report and recommended full-scale potential remedial actions.