PFAS, or forever chemicals, are everywhere — including in our waste. But it's possible to dramatically reduce those PFAS levels and turn human waste into energy at the same time, as shown by one demonstration project in Central Florida.
The technology
In Altamonte Springs, a technology called hydrothermal liquefaction or HTL converts biosolids — treated sewage sludge — into oil and gas. The oil and gas can then be further refined into energy sources like diesel, jet fuel or biodiesel, according to the engineers behind the project.
Jim Oyler is the president and co-founder of Genifuel Corporation, one of the companies partnering with the city on its state-funded demonstration project. Oyler describes HTL as a hot, wet process that turns organic waste into oil and gas.
"It's the same way that fossil fuels are made, when algae and leaves settle down into lakes and [it] builds up over tens of millions of years," Oyler said.
Eventually, the forces of temperature, pressure and water convert those organic things into oil and gas, Oyler said. "We do the same thing. It's just that we do it in 20 minutes, instead of millions of years."
Energy, water and waste
The HTL process helps address three of society's biggest problems at once, Oyler said: energy, water and waste.
"[It] provides renewable energy and water that would otherwise maybe have been wasted," Oyler said.
The water produced by the HTL process comes out clear, clean and sterile, with the PFAS broken down. It can be used for industrial purposes, including data centers, Oyler said. "We've cleaned it and made it usable again to offset potable water, which would otherwise be used in the data center."
The processed water byproduct can even be treated to a potable, or drinkable level. Altamonte Springs already has the technology in place to treat wastewater to drinking water standards, through another state-funded pilot project called pureALTA.
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Along with producing energy and usable water, HTL technology can help address another issue: wastewater disposal. It's a need that's only expected to grow, right along with Central Florida's growth more broadly.
"This waste comes every single day. It's not going away," Oyler said. "It's never going away, and we have to find ways of treating it."
During the wastewater treatment process, liquids and solids are separated, creating the semi-solid material known as biosolids or sewage sludge. In Florida and elsewhere, those biosolids often get applied to agricultural land as fertilizer.
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It's a way to reuse human waste: since the biosolids are nutrient-rich, they help plants grow. But they can also add too many nutrients to the land and water, creating harmful pollution. Biosolids can also contain high concentrations of chemicals, including forever chemicals that don't easily break down once in the environment.
But the HTL process being piloted in Altamonte Springs offers another, alternative way to reuse biosolids: by turning them into an energy source.
"It is an absolutely different way of getting rid of it," said City Manager Frank Martz. "But I'll say it differently: it's a different way to use something we already have."
The oil and gas produced by HTL can be further refined into biodiesel, which can be used to fuel generators or as a lubricant. "That saves taxpayers money," Martz said.
The future of wastewater innovation
The demonstration project in Altamonte Springs was funded with $750,000 from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Innovative Wastewater Technologies Grant Program. It was the first of five initial projects to be funded by the program, according to Scott Mower, a senior program analyst with FDEP's Office of Water Policy and Ecosystem Restoration. Three of the other projects are also in Central Florida.
Although the city has yet to submit a final project report to FDEP, results so far show "some great promise in destroying PFAS," Mower said at a public briefing Friday about the technology.
The HTL process can reduce PFAS levels in biosolids by about 96%, according to Oyler.
The project's final report should be ready by this fall, Mower said. In the meantime, FDEP staff are building an online public dashboard to share more information about this and other projects funded by the program.
"Our next step is to build this at scale, and to be able to do something for a larger, regional impact," Martz said. That will be a focus for the city over the next couple of years.
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