System and method for removal of PFAS and other emerging contaminant micro-constituents from landfill leachate and other impacted liquids

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12410071-B1
Application number	US-202117505516-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Oct 19, 2021
Priority date	Oct 19, 2020
Publication date	Sep 9, 2025
Grant date	Sep 9, 2025

Abstract

A system and method for removing PFAS from residual waste streams generated during the processing of landfill liquids prior to disposal are provided. An example of a landfill liquid is leachate. Landfill leachate can contain dissolved or entrained environmentally harmful substances such as PFAS and other emerging contaminant micro-constituents that may enter the environment if not properly treated. The presently disclosed system and method can improve the removal of PFAS and other emerging contaminant micro-constituents in landfill leachate and/or landfill impacted liquids including stormwater and contaminated groundwater.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of removing per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from a leachate stream, the method comprising:
introducing the leachate stream comprising per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances into a primary treatment module, wherein the primary treatment module comprises a solids removal vessel that is configured to remove solids from the leachate stream using membrane filtration and produce an effluent stream; and
passing the effluent stream directly from the solids removal vessel into a secondary treatment module comprising an adsorptive organic/clay based material and configured to adsorb microconstituents from the effluent stream,
wherein there is no removal of total organic carbon (TOC) in a TOC removal vessel prior to adsorption occurring in the secondary treatment module,
and wherein the secondary treatment module produces a treated leachate stream that is substantially devoid of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the membrane filtration is at least one of nano-filtration and micro-filtration.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the secondary treatment module further comprises an ion exchange media resin treatment.

4. A method of removing per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from a leachate stream, the method comprising:
introducing the leachate stream comprising per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances into a primary treatment module consisting essentially of a solids removal vessel that is configured to remove solids from the leachate stream using membrane filtration and produce an effluent stream; and
introducing the effluent stream directly into a secondary treatment module comprising an adsorptive organic/clay based material and configured to adsorb microconstituents from the effluent stream,
wherein the secondary treatment module produces a treated leachate stream that is substantially devoid of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the membrane filtration is at least one of nano-filtration and micro-filtration.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the secondary treatment module further comprises an ion exchange media resin treatment.

7. A method of removing per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from a leachate stream, the method comprising:
storing leachate comprising per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances in a storage vessel;
introducing leachate from the storage vessel directly into a primary treatment module using the leachate stream, wherein the primary treatment module consists essentially of a solids removal vessel that is configured to remove solids from the leachate stream using membrane filtration and produce an effluent stream; and
passing the effluent stream directly from the primary treatment module into a secondary treatment module comprising an adsorptive organic/clay based material and configured to adsorb microconstituents from the effluent stream,
wherein the secondary treatment module produces a treated leachate stream that is substantially devoid of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the membrane filtration is at least one of nano-filtration and micro-filtration.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the secondary treatment module further comprises an ion exchange media resin treatment.

10. A method of removing per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from a leachate stream, the method comprising:
storing leachate comprising per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances in a storage vessel;
introducing leachate from the storage vessel directly into a solids removal vessel using the leachate stream, wherein the solids removal vessel is configured to remove solids from the leachate stream using membrane filtration to produce an effluent stream; and
passing the effluent stream directly from the solids removal vessel into an adsorption treatment vessel configured to adsorb microconstituents from the effluent stream using an adsorptive organic/clay based material,
wherein the adsorption treatment vessel produces a treated leachate stream that is substantially devoid of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the membrane filtration is at least one of nano-filtration and micro-filtration.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising passing the treated leachate stream through an ion exchange media resin treatment.

Assignees

• Wm Intellectual Property Holdings L L C

Inventors

• Brazil Brian
• Menon Rohan

Classifications

• C02F1/441

  by reverse osmosis · CPC title

• C02F9/00

  Multistage treatment of water, waste water or sewage · CPC title

• C02F1/283

  using coal, charred products, or inorganic mixtures containing them · CPC title

• C02F1/42

  by ion-exchange (ion-exchange in general B01J) · CPC title

• C02F1/444

  by ultrafiltration or microfiltration · CPC title