Quadruple Technology Stack Making Short Work of Forever Chemicals at Grand Rapids

November 12, 2024

Crystal Clean continues to expand its PFAS remediation capabilities to meet growing market needs.

Crystal Clean, Inc., a leading provider of specialized environmental and waste management solutions to commercial and industrial end-markets, has expanded its capabilities at one of the largest PFAS remediation treatment facilities in the United States. The facility, located in Grand Rapids, MI, is now operating four advanced systems to remediate up to 300,000 gallons of PFAS-contaminated wastewater daily as part of its 4never™ PFAS remediation solution.

This sophisticated new technology is working daily to strip PFAS from heavily contaminated waters sourced from the continental U.S., reinforcing Crystal Clean’s position as a global leader in PFAS remediation solutions.

“Crystal Clean’s substantial infrastructure and transportation resources means PFAS-impacted waters can be removed at the source from virtually anywhere in the continental U.S.,” said Crystal Clean President and CEO Brian Recatto. “Our 4never™ solution is designed for high-volume, high-impact PFAS remediation, and we have construction plans to add PFAS treatment capabilities to several of our other commercial waste treatment facilities.”

The 20,000 square foot processing area features three of EPOC Enviro’s SAFF®40 PFAS remediation systems and one SAFF® Hyper-Concentrator working in tandem, and support infrastructure including tank storage with capacity for more than 200,000 gallons. PFAS impacted waters arrive regularly either by rail or truck, where they are unloaded into central tank storage ready for remediation.

“The SAFF® Hyper-Concentrator, which forms a critical part of the facility, is EPOC Enviro’s latest technology offering, and this is the first time it has been deployed in the U.S.,” said EPOC Enviro President Peter Murphy. “It is purpose designed for large scale sites like this with high volume waters, and works to supercharge the PFAS remediation process by maximising water throughput to enable larger volumes of water to be efficiently stripped of PFAS.”

The SAFF® units can produce a PFAS concentration factor of up to two million, creating one gallon of PFAS concentrate from two million gallons of water treated. The SAFF® Hyper-Concentrator enhances concentration levels a further 20-200 times. This critical step creates micro-volumes of concentrated PFAS foam, ready for final management and destruction.

“Clients impacted by PFAS contamination have access to a safe, secure, and proven PFAS remediation treatment train. Once the waters leave their premises, they can relax knowing that their PFAS issue will be transported and resolved using one of the most effective treatment trains currently on the market,” Recatto said.

PFAS impacted waters arrive at Grand Rapids from a variety of locations including landfills as well as industrial wastewaters, fire-impacted waters and more.

“EPOC Enviro’s SAFF® technology is now operating on three continents and has remediated more than a quarter of a billion gallons of PFAS impacted water globally,” Murphy commented. “Our patented process of Surface Active Foam Fractionation (SAFF®) makes this possible by harnessing the power of rising air bubbles to separate and concentrate PFAS compounds, allowing it to effectively manage large water volumes with minimal energy and consumable usage.”

MEDIA QUERIES:

Mike Ademe, Crystal Clean – Communications and Marketing Manager

E: Mike.Ademe@crystal-clean.com l Tel: 224-281-1530

Michelle Mahon, EPOC Enviro – Communications Manager

E: mmahon@epocenviro.com 

About Crystal Clean, Inc.  www.crystal-clean.com

Crystal Clean, Inc., provides environmental and industrial services to manufacturers and other industrial businesses, utilities and governmental entities, and vehicle maintenance businesses. Their service programs include parts cleaning, regulated containerized and bulk waste management, used oil collection and re-refining, wastewater vacuum, emergency and spill response, industrial and field services, and waste antifreeze collection, recycling and product sales. These services help customers manage their used chemicals and liquid and solid wastes, while also helping to minimize their regulatory burdens.

About EPOC Enviro www.epocenviro.com

Protecting and improving the environment 

EPOC Enviro is an award-winning environmental engineering firm. The EPOC acronym stands for ‘Emerging Pollutants of Concern’.  Our mission is to develop and implement clever and practical engineering solutions on a global scale to permanently remove PFAS and other emerging contaminants from the environment. At EPOC Enviro, we proudly apply the principles of intelligent design, sustainable engineering and green chemistry to our craft.   

WHAT IS PFAS? 

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