Envytech Solutions AB has, as part of the LIFE Source project, performed treatment of heavily contaminated landfill leachate impacted groundwater using the innovative and sustainable method SAFF – Surface Active Foam Fractionation. The SAFF-system is a part of a treatment train containing SAFF, PHYTO and EO, see Figure 1. The pilot-scale operation at the demonstration center in Hovgården (Uppsala, Sweden) was planned for eleven months, aiming to treat approximately 23,000 m³ of water and significantly reduce the presence of both long-chain and short-chain PFAS.
Although the SAFF unit was installed at the demonstration center in Hovgården in February 2024, site-specific conditions delayed its start-up until May 2024. Due to the delay and to meet the planned treatment volume, the consortium decided to extend the pilot plant operation until April 2025, adjusting the original schedule, which had planned for completion in December 2024. After eleven months of operation, the SAFF unit treated a total volume of approximately 28,000 m³, with an average energy consumption of 0.62 kWh/m³.
During the operational period, monthly control samples were collected to assess the removal efficiency of the SAFF unit, which achieved 94% removal of long-chain PFAS and around 19% for short-chain PFAS. To optimize PFAS removal, full-scale tests with various additives have been carried out, although the results are still pending.
