Combating PFAS ‘The Forever Chemical’ contamination
Worldwide, numerous sites have been impacted by PFAS contamination. No complete record of those sites is available but military bases, airports, heliports, landfills, water treatment plants, wastewater treatment plants as well as industrial facilities are known locations where the risk of high concentration of PFAS is extremely high. SANEXEN experts have been fighting PCBs for decades and began working on PFAS projects 30 years ago. Since then, the company has completed a wide variety of projects, including several major disasters. It offers today the most comprehensive one-stop shop – customized and sustainable approach for treatment of PFAS contaminated water at a fraction of the cost and risk associated with other solutions relying primarily on adsorption media.
Combating PFAS ‘The Forever Chemical’ contamination
Our ALTRA advanced foam fractionation technology, a process commonly used in aquariums for the removal of organic waste is a physico-chemical separation where PFAS are adsorbed on the surface of gas bubbles rising through water. At the air–water interface, these bubbles form a foam that is enriched in PFAS, so separation of the foam results in a concentrated foamate. The process can be carried out in both batch and continuous operation. Recent large-scale projects have received increasing attention and demonstrated ALTRA as a successful technology for PFAS removal from landfill leachate.
Contact Yannic Duchesne
Operations Director, Water and Industrial Effluents Treatment
Combating PFAS ‘The Forever Chemical’ contamination
Worldwide, numerous sites have been impacted by PFAS contamination. No complete record of those sites is available but military bases, airports, heliports, landfills, water treatment plants, wastewater treatment plants as well as industrial facilities are known locations where the risk of high concentration of PFAS is extremely high. SANEXEN experts have been fighting PCBs for decades and began working on PFAS projects 30 years ago. Since then, the company has completed a wide variety of projects, including several major disasters. It offers today the most comprehensive one-stop shop – customized and sustainable approach for treatment of PFAS contaminated water at a fraction of the cost and risk associated with other solutions relying primarily on adsorption media.
Our ALTRA advanced foam fractionation technology, a process commonly used in aquariums for the removal of organic waste is a physico-chemical separation where PFAS are adsorbed on the surface of gas bubbles rising through water. At the air–water interface, these bubbles form a foam that is enriched in PFAS, so separation of the foam results in a concentrated foamate. The process can be carried out in both batch and continuous operation. Recent large-scale projects have received increasing attention and demonstrated ALTRA as a successful technology for PFAS removal from landfill leachate.
Operations Director, Water and Industrial Effluents Treatment
6 KEY BENEFITS
01
LOWEST INVESTMENT COST:
Our mobile equipment can be used at a relatively low pay-per- use rate, rather than spending millions of CAPEX+OPEX $ to build a treatment facility
04
THE MOST ROBUST:
The most versatile and robust remediation technology that has proven its ability to work in waters with high percentages of co-contaminants
02
HIGHLY CUSTOMIZED APPROACH:
We calibrate solutions for the nature and size of any needs (underground water, contaminated soils, wells for potable water, etc.)
05
OPERATOR-FRIENDLY DESIGN:
A continuous 24/7 water treatment, ALTRA container unit is designed for portability and plug and play application
03
SAFEST APPROACH:
Close-loop system with zero-emission of PFAS or other toxic gases to the atmosphere. The safest approach available for employees and visitors nearby.
06
THE ONLY GUARANTEED SOLUTION ALTRA:
Provides PFAS treatment services on a ‘water-as-a-service’ commercial model whereby we design, build, operate, finance and maintain the treatment system with an agreed level of PFAS removal.
6 KEY BENEFITS
01
LOWEST INVESTMENT COST:
Our mobile equipment can be used at a relatively low pay-per- use rate, rather than spending millions of CAPEX+OPEX $ to build a treatment facility
02
HIGHLY CUSTOMIZED APPROACH:
We calibrate solutions for the nature and size of any needs (underground water, contaminated soils, wells for potable water, etc.)
03
SAFEST APPROACH:
Close-loop system with zero-emission of PFAS or other toxic gases to the atmosphere. The safest approach available for employees and visitors nearby.
04
THE MOST ROBUST:
The most versatile and robust remediation technology that has proven its ability to work in waters with high percentages of co-contaminants
05
OPERATOR-FRIENDLY DESIGN:
A continuous 24/7 water treatment, ALTRA container unit is designed for portability and plug and play application
06
THE ONLY GUARANTEED SOLUTION ALTRA:
Provides PFAS treatment services on a ‘water-as-a-service’ commercial model whereby we design, build, operate, finance and maintain the treatment system with an agreed level of PFAS removal.
ALTRA Sequenced Water Treatment Approach
ALTRA Sequenced Water Treatment Approach
OUR APPROACH
The best way to combat the extreme PFAS contaminations as economically as possible is to develop a custom approach that takes every factor into account and isn’t beholden to any single technology. ALTRA is a technology integrator that offers a suite of solutions, including its proprietary Foam Fractionation technology and adsorbent media. The process starts with several treatment trials, which are laboratory validated, to determine which approach is most viable based on a list of possible factors, including what contaminants are in the water besides PFAS.
Once the design phase kicks off, SANEXEN considers how current treatment technology can fit into the process — for instance, landfill sites may have a biological treatment in place, like a membrane bioreactor (MBR) — and determines the most efficient method for disposal of the contaminated media or concentrated waste stream. All these factors determine the total lifecycle costs.
OUR APPROACH
The best way to combat the extreme PFAS contaminations as economically as possible is to develop a custom approach that takes every factor into account and isn’t beholden to any single technology. ALTRA is a technology integrator that offers a suite of solutions, including its proprietary Foam Fractionation technology and adsorbent media. The process starts with several treatment trials, which are laboratory validated, to determine which approach is most viable based on a list of possible factors, including what contaminants are in the water besides PFAS.
Once the design phase kicks off, SANEXEN considers how current treatment technology can fit into the process — for instance, landfill sites may have a biological treatment in place, like a membrane bioreactor (MBR) — and determines the most efficient method for disposal of the contaminated media or concentrated waste stream. All these factors determine the total lifecycle costs.
OUR LATEST PFAS PROJECTS
Water Treatment After Lac Mégantic Train Derailment
PROJECTSERVICEPFAS RemovalINDUSTRYMunicipalPROJECT LOCATIONLac Mégantic, QuebecPROJECT DATE2013QUANTITY11,360,000 gallons of water treatedCHALLENGES The situation required a quick mobilization of equipment on the site of the disaster. 8,700 gal of concentrated AFFF...
Spill of AFFF Concentrate at Military Base
PROJECTSERVICEPFAS RemovalINDUSTRYMilitaryPROJECT LOCATIONCanadaPROJECT DATE2001QUANTITY4.5M litres (1M US gallons) of water treatedCHALLENGESThe situation required a quick emergency response and a solution able to treat rapidly over 4.5 million litres (1 million US...
OUR LATEST PFAS WEBINARS
SEE MORE
Foam Fractionation as Pre-Treatment for PFAS Removal. Water Online Water Expo 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea_Rrx6-pCs
ALTRA PFAS Treatment Solutions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54Gd2WfO86A&t=8s Have you fully understood the impacts of PFAS? Traditional approaches for removing environmental #contaminants have limited effectiveness when it comes to PFAS. With the introduction of stringent regulations, it is...
Are People Underestimating The Real Cost Of PFAS?
Martin Bureau discusses the agreement with Waste Connections, the first of its kind in North America, which has set a standard for the industry. Hear from Martin about the real cost of PFAS, and a safe solution from sanexen.com...
READ THE LATEST NEWS
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Anne-Marie Gagnon, appointed to the Board of Directors of the Quebec Business Counsil On the Environment (CPEQ)
Brossard, July 1, 2025 – SANEXEN Environmental Services Inc. is proud to announce the appointment of Ms. Anne-Marie Gagnon, P. Eng., Senior Director, Environment, as a member of the Board of Directors of the Quebec Business Counsil On the Environment (CPEQ). Effective...
Nathalie Viens appointed as the new President of SANEXEN
Montréal, Canada - December 16, 2024 - LOGISTEC is pleased to announce the appointment of Nathalie Viens as President of its Water and Environment Division. Nathalie brings with her a wealth of experience in leading global operations in a variety of industries,...
SANEXEN Wins 2024 Sustainable Remediation Brownie Award
Montreal, Quebec, November 18, 2024 – ALTRA | SANEXEN has been honored with the coveted 2024 Brownie Award for Sustainable Remediation, showcasing their innovative approach to complex environmental challenges. The award-winning project, a collaboration with Vivenda...
