Summary - WEBINAR – To burn or not to burn: Is PFAS incineration safe?. Online registration by Cvent

Thermal treatment is currently the only off-the-shelf option for the destruction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in large waste streams. While all organic chemicals including PFAS are susceptible to thermal decomposition, concerns exist about the formation of products of incomplete destruction (PIDs) and their stack emission from treatment facilities. This seminar will present the current state of knowledge regarding the viability and safety of thermal PFAS destruction, both in a national and in a global context. Several thermal treatment processes will be addressed, such as hazardous waste incineration, thermal desorption, and pyrometallurgical treatment. Current and nascent approaches in sampling and chemical analysis will be discussed.

Finally, the seminar will highlight the CSIRO’s ongoing efforts to elucidate the pathways, mechanisms, and kinetics of thermal PFAS decomposition by combining computational chemistry with synchrotron-based molecular-beam mass spectrometry, revealing required incineration conditions and potential PIDs for 12 of the most prominent PFAS classes.

Dr Jens Blotevogel is a Principal Research Scientist and Team Leader for Remediation Technologies at the CSIRO on Waite Campus in Adelaide. His research revolves around the fate of emerging contaminants, conducting laboratory- and field-scale experiments to elucidate their transformation in both natural and engineered systems. Jens has developed sustainable water treatment technologies, theoretical models for contaminant degradation prediction, and various advanced analytical methods with a focus on high-resolution accurate mass spectrometry. Jens received his doctoral degree in Environmental Chemistry from Colorado State University and his Diploma in Environmental Engineering from the Technical University Berlin.

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