Last week, SciDev’s Operations Manager, Todd Placek, took to the stage at the Australasian Land & Groundwater Association (ALGA) Local Government Contaminated Land Forum in Port Macquarie, NSW. This inaugural event was well attended by local council representatives and senior members of the Environmental Protection Agency, fostering collaboration on critical environmental challenges. 

Todd’s presentation, “Treating PFAS-Impacted Water for Discharge to the Environment,” highlighted two case studies where SciDev’s FluorofIX™ technology successfully treated PFAS-impacted surface water. 

We spoke to Todd after the conference, and he shared 8 key takeaways from his presentation. 

1. The scale of the PFAS crisis is unknown. Hundreds of thousands of sites globally have been identified so far, including airports, mines, and firefighting facilities, with many more sites yet to be discovered. 
2. Australia has been at the forefront of PFAS regulation globally for over a decade. 
3. The chemicals’ bio-accumulative nature and health impacts requires swift and sustainable action. 
4. SciDev is helping the cause. We developed our FluorofIX™ technology: a mobile, modular ion exchange resin system that effectively removes both long- and short-chain PFAS compounds, reducing contamination levels to below detection limits. 
5. The first case study shared looked at the Country Fire Authority, Fiskville PFAS Rehabilitation Project.  
   1. This was one of the most significant PFAS rehabilitation projects to be undertaken in Australia to date. 
   2. A 150-hectare site that was used for firefighting training for decades. 
   3. SciDev’s FluorofIX™ was used to treat 80 megalitres of contaminated water to PFAS ultra-trace levels of 0.002 µg/l. 
   4. SciDev was the first company in Victoria to be granted approval for continuous discharge to the environment by the Victorian Environmental Protection Agency. 
6. The second case study was a mine site in Western Australia.  
   1. The source of contamination was due to the historical usage of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) for fire suppression and training activities. 
   2. PFAS contamination was widespread across the mine site due to water reuse methods. The site was also close to a primary drinking water catchment. 
   3. 1.5 billion litres of PFAS-impacted surface water has been treated to super ultra-trace levels of 0.0002ug/l so far. Up to 3 megalitres of water treated every day for nearly four years.  
7. These case studies showcased SciDev’s ability to treat vast volumes of contaminated water while achieving 100% compliance with stringent environmental regulations. 
8. SciDev is committed to helping solve the growing global PFAS issue. The case studies shared are great examples of how innovative technologies are helping our clients to remediate, recycle, and reuse water…improving operational efficiencies and reducing their environmental footprints.