{"id":116299,"date":"2023-01-25T17:59:48","date_gmt":"2023-01-25T22:59:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/?p=116299"},"modified":"2023-01-25T17:59:48","modified_gmt":"2023-01-25T22:59:48","slug":"using-submerged-aerated-fixed-film-technology-to-reduce-pfas-contamination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/using-submerged-aerated-fixed-film-technology-to-reduce-pfas-contamination\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Submerged Aerated Fixed Film Technology to Reduce PFAS Contamination"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By Brigitte Rodriguez, Associate Researcher &amp; Writer for Save The Water\u2122 | January 25, 2023<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In recent years, PFAS pollution has become a major issue. PFAS contains chemicals that can endanger humans. They are also located in many consumer products such as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.atsdr.cdc.gov\/pfas\/health-effects\/exposure.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">water resistant clothing, cosmetics, cleaning products and personal care products.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Therefore, researchers have created Submerged Aerated Fixed Film Technology. This alternative will reduce PFAS contamination in bodies of water.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">What are PFAS?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The term \u201cPFAS\u201d is short for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Also, known as forever chemicals because they will be with us for a long time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example forever chemicals are found in a wide range of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/toxicfreefuture.org\/toxic-chemicals\/pfas-forever-chemicals\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">consumer and industrial products<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Building materials<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cleaners<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Firefighting foam<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cosmetics<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Takeout containers<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moreover, forever chemicals do not break down easily. Even worse is the fact that they can<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">become <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.degruyter.com\/document\/doi\/10.1515\/reveh-2020-0049\/html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">concentrated in our bodies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ehn.org\/what-are-pfas-2656619391\/pfas-in-clothing-and-home-goods\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the world around us.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">What is the SAFF technology?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To be specific, \u201cSubmerged Aerated Fixed Film\u00a0 (SAFF) technology is a process used to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aesarabia.com\/submerged-aerobic-fixed-film-reactor-saff\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reduce the organic loading<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of residential and commercial sewage\/waste water\u2026\u201d and \u201cSuspended Solids (SS)\u201d from effluent discharge. It thus protects bodies of water, such as rivers and seas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance this <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aesarabia.com\/submerged-aerobic-fixed-film-reactor-saff\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">technology<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has several advantages:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lower energy use.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Easy installation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sludge formation is lessened.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is easy to maintain.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is inexpensive.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">How does it work?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Definitely, this technology works by supplying air through the mechanical aeration system. This system can\u00a0 be placed in the water, which then creates foam. After that, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox9.com\/news\/pumping-60000-gallons-of-water-per-day-minnesota-tests-forever-chemicals-removal-technology\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0the PFAS collect in the foam and can be taken out of the water.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To point out, SAFF technology cleans up PFAS contamination. Certainly it does this by using \u201cthe natural properties of PFAS compounds to preferentially <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/smartwatermagazine.com\/news\/epoc-enviro\/saff-technology-now-removing-short-chain-pfas-molecules\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bind to the air\/water interface of a swarm of rising air bubbles.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Future perspectives<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indeed SAFF technology sets a precedent for removing PFASs from the aquatic system. In Minnesota, it is currently cycling through <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox9.com\/news\/pumping-60000-gallons-of-water-per-day-minnesota-tests-forever-chemicals-removal-technology\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">thousands of\u00a0 gallons of groundwater each day.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Altogether the hope is that this technology can be used to tackle the problem of PFAS on a larger scale.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">What can be done to lessen exposure to PFAS?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a few ways to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/toxicfreefuture.org\/toxic-chemicals\/pfas-forever-chemicals\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reduce the exposure<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to forever chemicals.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 600;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Avoid products that are water-resistant such as clothing, furniture, bedding and other items.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 600;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Purchase washable items.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 600;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Look for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pfascentral.org\/pfas-free-products\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PFAS-free products.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 600;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stop buying microwave popcorn bags and some fast foods because they are wrapped in material that can potentially contain PFAS.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 600;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do not use products containing <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/simplygreenrebekah.com\/is-teflon-safe\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teflon<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2122<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">What Can You Do to Save Water?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a few ways you can <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectwater.info\/100-ways-to-conserve-water.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">preserve water<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Participate in public awareness campaigns to draw attention to the importance of water conservation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/pfas-and-their-impact-on-water\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take part in public awareness campaigns to draw attention to forever chemicals<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you live in a country or region with water bodies at risk of pollution, urge your government to improve sewage and wastewater cleanup.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Brigitte Rodriguez, Associate Researcher &amp; Writer for Save The Water\u2122 | January 25, 2023 In recent&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12900,"featured_media":116303,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[87,197,407,564],"yst_prominent_words":[2587,3164,1181,1165,612],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116299"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12900"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116299"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116386,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116299\/revisions\/116386"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116299"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=116299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}