Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals that have been used in industrial processes and consumer products throughout the world since the 1950s.

The SWANA Applied Research Foundation published a report on PFAS Fate and Transport in WTE Facilities in June 2021. Based on this report, SWANA is cautiously optimistic regarding the role that WTE facilities can play in the destruction of PFAS in MSW. The thermal destruction of PFAS in high-temperature combustion systems such as WTE facilities may represent one of the few commercially proven options available to society for destroying these problematic, forever chemicals.

A critical question is whether the PFAS emissions from WTE facilities are — or can be — low enough for regulators, policy makers and the public to support their use in the destruction of PFAS in discarded consumer products. This question will be addressed and discussed by the presenters and attendees during this session.