Allonnia pulls PFAS from groundwater with air bubbles and skims off the foam

In an August 2023 Fast Company article on Innovation by Design Awards winners, Allonnia is described as a bio-ingenuity company whose system, Surface Active Foam Fractionation (SAFF), separates and concentrates PFAS from contaminated water using only air bubbles. It won the Small Business category.

Fast Company says air is blown into the water the way you can with a straw in a glass. The bubbles rise, bind to PFAS and drag them to the surface as a concentrated foam, which is skimmed off, leaving the water significantly cleaner. Chief commercial officer Chuck Price says the foam goes to a special facility where the PFAS are broken down, so they are contained in a more manageable low-volume, high-concentration form.

Price says the system has been deployed in more than five states and has treated more than 12 million gallons of contaminated water. Each machine cleans about 100 gallons a minute and units can run in parallel for larger bodies of water. All it takes is air and electricity.

PFAS are found in thousands of remediation sites and landfills worldwide.

Bubbles naturally attract PFAS to the surface.

Concentrating the foam makes breaking PFAS down more manageable.

A system that needs only air and power can be deployed at most water sources.

Concentrate a diffuse contaminant into a small volume first; destruction is easier and cheaper on a concentrate than on a whole water supply.

The article cites Allonnia's own deployment figures, more than five states and over 12 million gallons treated, and a design award. It gives no independent test results.