Surface Active Foam Fractionation® (SAFF®) Technology Now Capable of Removing Short Chain Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

Surface Active Foam Fractionation® (SAFF®) Technology Now Capable of Removing Short Chain Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)


Allonnia, the bio-ingenuity company dedicated to extracting value where others see waste, today announced that EPOC Enviro’s SAFF PFAS remediation technology can remove almost all short chain PFAS compounds from many contaminated water types, as well as long chain PFAS compounds. Allonnia is proud to be the exclusive distribution partner for SAFF in the US, Canada and Mexico.

PFAS is a family of synthetic compounds used globally to make products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease and water. PFAS compounds break down very slowly over time and are recognized as an ‘emerging contaminant’ with widespread concerns about their characteristics of persistence, bioaccumulation, toxicity, mobility and impacts on human health.

SAFF represents a sustainably engineered approach to PFAS remediation, where a combination of aeration and vacuum is used to rapidly remove >99% of target long chain PFAS compounds and now a significant majority of short chain PFAS compounds. This enables treated water to be safely returned to the environment. SAFF exploits the natural properties of PFAS compounds to preferentially bind to the air/water interface through a swarm of rising air bubbles. Once on the surface, the compounds are harvested as a waste froth/foam for permanent destruction using readily available partner technologies. In addition to specific operational modifications and vessel geometry enhancements, short chain PFAS removal can be achieved through the addition of specific amendments when necessary. The amendments that enhance short chain PFAS removal are completely removed from the water with the concentrated PFAS.

In announcing the breakthrough, EPOC Enviro Company President, Peter Murphy, said that the recent short chain removal trial results had exceeded all expectations and appeared to be a game changer for remediators looking to step away from using unsustainable GAC or resin remediation technologies.

“This single, sustainable solution enables broad scale PFAS remediation wherever this contaminant is found. As the SAFF technology is between one to two orders of magnitude cheaper to operate, we now have an affordable, sustainable solution to tackle global PFAS contamination,” said Murphy.

SAFF’s superior performance has now been proven at several diverse locations around the world, and its unique ability to operate effectively at sites with high percentages of co-contaminants means it can effectively remediate PFAS from leachate waters and other complex waters as well as groundwater and surface water.

“We are thrilled for SAFF to show such promise in removing the most complicated PFAS compounds,” said Kent Sorenson, CTO, Allonnia. “This solidifies our confidence in the technology and our excitement to bring it to the North America market as the most sustainable PFAS solution available.”