advertentieRIVM has researched the possibilities to distinguish PFAS Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in domestic and industrial wastewater. The aim of this research was to see if this method is suitable for discovering unknown industrial sources by measuring PFAS in wastewater at wastewater treatment plants (rwzi’s). The Dutch Inspectorate for Environment and Transport (ILT) wants to use the results to gain more insight into the industrial emissions of PFAS.
RIVM examined the untreated wastewater from two groups of wastewater treatment plants (rwzi’s) in the Netherlands. The first group consisted of 11 rwzi’s that primarily receive and treat wastewater from households. The second group included 6 rwzi’s that contain relatively high amounts of wastewater from industries, potentially with unknown sources of PFAS Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances).
It has been shown that measurements of PFAS in untreated wastewater can provide insight into (unknown) discharges from industry. The untreated wastewater from rwzi’s primarily containing domestic wastewater exhibited a relatively stable pattern of PFAS. With a few exceptions, the pattern per rwzi also remained fairly constant over time. Several rwzi’s displayed an anomalous pattern. This indicates the presence of additional sources of PFAS and warrants further source investigation.
Read more in the report ‘PFAS measurements in wastewater treatment plants’.