PFAS – an invisible yet far-reaching challenge
PFAS present a new challenge for water suppliers and wastewater treatment plants. Our filtration solutions help to effectively remove these “forever chemicals” from water.
PFAS, the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are among the greatest challenges of modern water treatment. For decades, these compounds have been used in industry, commerce, and countless everyday products. They can be found in firefighting foams, waterproofing agents, paints, cleaning agents, coatings, textiles, cookware, and even in food packaging.
The reason for their widespread use lies in their exceptional properties: PFAS are water-, oil-, and dirt-repellent and are also extremely chemically stable. However, this very stability means they hardly degrade in the environment. Once released, PFAS can persist for decades or even centuries in soils, sediments, and water, accumulating in plants, animals, and ultimately in the human body.
Studies show that certain PFAS compounds may have health-relevant effects. They are suspected of interfering with the hormonal system, stressing the liver, and weakening the immune system. The European Union and Switzerland are therefore actively working on stricter limits and comprehensive bans.
For water suppliers and wastewater treatment plant operators, this means that the removal of PFAS is increasingly becoming a mandatory requirement to safeguard drinking water quality and comply with legal regulations.
Our solutions for safe water quality
CHEMIA BRUGG supports water suppliers as well as operators of wastewater treatment and soil-washing plants with proven processes for the targeted removal of PFAS from contaminated water.
Our solutions are based on a modular treatment concept that can be individually combined depending on the situation.
- Filter media based on activated carbon primarily bind long-chain PFAS compounds, which are particularly persistent and difficult to degrade.
- Special ion-exchange resins remove PFAS ranging from long-chain to ultra-short-chain, depending on the resin type. Due to their high mobility, these compounds would otherwise remain easily in the water.
This combination enables a sustainable reduction of PFAS contamination – both in drinking water treatment and in wastewater effluents.
Practical examples from Switzerland
In practice, PFAS pose a particular problem in areas where firefighting foams or industrial wastewater have entered the groundwater.
- Our filtration solutions can be used by water suppliers in catchments or treatment stages, helping to remove PFAS residues from raw water and ensure compliance with legal limits.
- In wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), our processes can be integrated into existing treatment steps to specifically reduce PFAS concentrations in effluents and limit their discharge into surface waters.
In this way, our systems help to secure the long-term supply of drinking water and significantly reduce environmental pollution.
Trust built on experience
With our many years of experience in water treatment and process optimisation, we support operators from the analysis of contamination to the design of the most suitable filtration and ion-exchange technology.
Our tailor-made concepts offer operators a practical and cost-effective solution to efficiently eliminate PFAS and ensure lasting water quality.
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