Margaret Thompson

Research & Development Engineer
ECT2

A research & development engineer in North Carolina developing novel treatment technologies for emerging contaminants such as PFAS in water, air, and solid waste. Current research focuses on optimizing ion exchange and adsorbent media treatment and destruction systems for PFAS.

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Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Treatment Comparison by Packed-Bed Media using Rapid Small-Scale Column Testing

Current drinking water treatment objectives for PFAS can be as low as single digit ng/L and may be lowered based on the EPA’s 2022 interim PFOA/PFOS health advisories. Facilities required to install PFAS treatment systems need to quickly evaluate treatment technologies. The leading technologies for removal of PFAS are granular activated carbon (GAC) and ion exchange resin (IX). In low concentration drinking water applications, media life can run out to 100,000s of bed volumes before breakthrough of PFAS such as PFOA and PFOS. Pilot-testing of these systems can take months to years and can be costly. The rapid small-scale column test (RSSCT) can be used to compare media quickly and with less water than traditional pilot or bench-scale column testing. RSSCTs can provide useful information to predict bed life of both GAC and IX and drive full-scale system design decision making on the basis of cost, footprint, and changeout frequency.