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Set to present at the upcoming [Australian Water Association NQ Conference](http://bit.ly/2Id7fik), GHD Process Engineer Ali Farhat said the company has been working with a wastewater client to test different PFAS removal options. “Our client has an industrial wastewater site with a legacy of PFAS being present in its wastewater,” Farhat said. “Their wastewater is also full of other things like suspended solids, nitrogen, and metals. So it is not only a PFAS problem, but because their PFAS levels are relatively low and not much higher than the target, they want to find the best approach without having to spend millions of dollars.” Farhat said that conventional PFAS treatment processes usually involve expensive expertise and equipment, but other avenues for effective treatment are also possible. “Usually you don’t treat PFAS, you pay a company to treat it for you. It’s a guaranteed low-risk treatment, but it’s very expensive. We wanted to see if there is another way, a non-conventional treatment that can be applied in-house,” he said. GHD’s trials involved adding a chemical additive that binds to PFAS and a biological treatment using bacteria developed to remove PFAS. These are considered non-conventional, as conventional treatments usually involve activated carbon or ion exchange resins. Farhat said spending huge amounts of money to meet regulatory requirements is not always a viable or cost-effective management strategy. “If you are not looking for removing PFAS by several orders of magnitude, but only about 50-70% removal, then there is no need to go for state-of-the-art technologies,” he said. “This is site specific, of course; there are always other things around PFAS, either metals or hydrocarbon, or other nutrients. But there is a lot of opportunity for non-conventional solutions to PFAS removal to be applied on site. “It’s always worth checking if you can employ a non-conventional treatment method to meet appropriate PFAS levels, because there might be feasible and economical applications available, rather than going for the expensive solution.” *Register for the [Australian Water Association NQ Conference](http://bit.ly/2Id7fik) to hear more from Ali Farhat about non-conventional PFAS treatment options.* **Related podcast:** https://omny.fm/shows/australianwater/angus-seberry-on-pfas-in-wastewater [ Public Health ](https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/tag/public-health) [ Podcasts ](https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/tag/podcasts) [ Water Treatment ](https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/tag/water-treatment) [ Contamination ](https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/tag/contamination) [ Water Quality ](https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/tag/water-quality) [ GHD ](https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/tag/ghd) [ PFAS ](https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/tag/pfas) Share [![email icon](https://www.awa.asn.au/hubfs/website-assets-2021/icons/icon-dark-sandstone-email.svg "email icon") ](mailto:?subject=Strategic%20PFAS%20treatment%20not%20always%20expensive,%20expert%20says&body=Check%20out%20https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/community/public-health/strategic-pfas-treatment-not-always-expensive-expert-says) [![facebook-icon](https://www.awa.asn.au/hubfs/website-assets-2021/icons/icon-dark-sandstone-facebook.svg "facebook icon") ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/community/public-health/strategic-pfas-treatment-not-always-expensive-expert-says) [![LinkedIn icon](https://www.awa.asn.au/hubfs/website-assets-2021/icons/icon-dark-sandstone-linkedin.svg "LinkedIn icon") ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/community/public-health/strategic-pfas-treatment-not-always-expensive-expert-says) [![Twitter icon](https://www.awa.asn.au/hubfs/website-assets-2021/icons/icon-dark-sandstone-twitter.svg "Twitter icon") ](https://twitter.com/home?status=https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/community/public-health/strategic-pfas-treatment-not-always-expensive-expert-says) ## RELATED NEWS [![](https://www.awa.asn.au/hs-fs/hubfs/water-sample.jpg?width=352&name=water-sample.jpg) ](https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/non-targeted-chemical-analysis-tool-to-bolster-emerging-contaminants-research) ### [ Non-targeted chemical analysis tool to bolster emerging contaminants research ](https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/non-targeted-chemical-analysis-tool-to-bolster-emerging-contaminants-research) Cecilia Harris With hundreds of new chemicals registered everyday, and many of them untested with respect to public health and environmental… [ Read Full Paper ](https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/non-targeted-chemical-analysis-tool-to-bolster-emerging-contaminants-research) ### [ New water treatment plant could address Katherine’s PFAS problem ](https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/community/public-health/new-water-treatment-plant-could-address-katherines-pfas-problem) Water Source Katherine’s contaminated water concerns might soon be abated thanks to the delivery of a new water treatment plant to help reduce… [ Read Full Paper ](https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/community/public-health/new-water-treatment-plant-could-address-katherines-pfas-problem) ### [ Aussie researchers lead breakthroughs on PFAS, wastewater contamination clean-up ](https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/technology/innovation/aussie-researchers-lead-breakthroughs-on-pfas-wastewater-contamination-clean-up) Water Source Australian scientists are leading the way when it comes to cleaning contaminated water, with two new discoveries that could change… [ Read Full Paper ](https://www.awa.asn.au/resources/latest-news/technology/innovation/aussie-researchers-lead-breakthroughs-on-pfas-wastewater-contamination-clean-up) Advertising --- ### Subscribe to our newsletters Sign up to get the latest news and insights from us Advertising --- ![white arrow pointing upwards](https://www.awa.asn.au/hubfs/website-assets-2021/icons/awa-white-arrow-up.svg) Top [![Footer-logo-02](https://www.awa.asn.au/hubfs/Footer-logo-02.svg) ](https://www.awa.asn.au/) The **Australian Water Association** acknowledges the Traditional Custodians across Australia, where we live, work and play, for their deep connection to our precious waters and land. 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