A new technologies for combatting PFAS contamination is getting$ 1.2 million from the , U. S. Department of Defense , to help change the program from the lab to area application.
Enspired Options, a , Lansing-based firm owned by a lady, announced the award Monday, continuing a relationship with the , DOD , that began in 2023.
The company, which was founded in 2021, has developed a” PFASigator” technology that uses ultraviolet light and a proprietary reagent mix to trigger a reaction that destroys PFAS in water and returns PFAS to non-toxic parts without the need for off-site disposal.
According to company officials, this new contract may permit Enspired Solutions to switch their PFAS damage technology from lab to field.
The second step of the new venture may start this summertime at , Tyndall Air Force Base , near , Panama City, Florida. A team of experts will decontaminate a hearth trailer using the PFASigator system while also washing the vehicle and removing PFAS chemicals on site.
Step No. 2 will use the system to destroy PFAS in groundwater concentrate at another (unnamed ) defense department facility.
If and when the new technologies may be available for use at PFAS-contaminated websites in , Michigan , is not yet known.
Company officials said their PFASigator program has many advantages over another, commonly used PFAS treatment methods, such as detailed activated carbon record, ion exchange, or reverse osmosis, which can result in re-release of PFAS into the environment.
The medical name for the tech is “photo-activated basic defluorination”.
In 2021, Enspired Options won an award from the , U. S. Environmental Protection Agency , and the security department for its energy-efficient, cost-effective method to PFAS death.
” We have been working for years to make this highly effective PFAS death systems and are constantly partnering with water infrastructure to ensure that drinking water is safe”, said Enspired Solutions CEO and , Michigan , resident , Denise Kay.
What is PFAS?
PFAS, formerly called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a family of more than 3, 000 synthetic chemicals that have been used in consumer and industrial products since the 1950s. Because they do n’t naturally breakdown in the body or the environment, they are known as “forever chemicals.”
Government and university studies have associated PFAS chemicals with health problems, such as cancer, thyroid disease, liver damage, reproductive impairment and type 2 diabetes in women.
The manufacture and use of PFAS chemicals was largely phased out in , the United States , between 2006 and 2024, although some overseas companies still use it today, according to the , National Institutes of Health.
PFAS can enter groundwater in a variety of ways, including runoff from some firefighting foams that have been used at numerous airports and military installations over the years. Industrial discharges, land-based contaminated sludge applications, sewage plant discharges, leaching from landfills, and other contamination pathways are some examples.
A widespread problem
More than 11, 000 sites in , Michigan , have potentially been contaminated with PFAS, according the Michigan , Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, making the state No. 1 in the country for PFAS sites, according to the , Michigan Environmental Council.
Nearly 2 million Michiganders have some level of the toxic chemicals, studies show.
However, the amount of PFAS in soil and groundwater varies greatly. A much smaller number of sites in , Michigan , have high levels PFAS contamination, state officials said.
One reason for , Michigan ‘s , top PFAS ranking is that the state launched a comprehensive testing program in 2018, testing virtually all public drinking water supplies, as well as water at schools, lakes and streams. Other states have tested far less, with a few exceptions like , Minnesota.
Closer to home, state officials identified PFAS contamination in wells adjacent to , Cherry Capital Airport , near a residential section of , East Bay Township, according to a 2021 EGLE report.
” Firefighting foam containing PFAS was stored and used at the , United States Coast Guard Air Station , in , Traverse City  , from 1978 to the current date and at the , Cherry Capital Airport , since the 1970s”, the report stated. ” The firefighting equipment was tested annually for the discharges of the PFAS-containing foam.
The report continued,” All 10 sampling locations had PFAS in their groundwater sample results from the temporary monitoring wells.” The contaminants were found from 15 to 54 feet below the ground surface … ( in concentrations ) above the groundwater cleanup criteria of 16 ( parts per trillion ), with concentrations ranging from below detection limits to 17, 900 ppt.”
According to EGLE officials, the groundwater at that location typically flows in a northeasterly direction toward East Grand Traverse Bay. Around 2, 050 feet from the bay, the contamination was discovered.
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