Susan Sitkoff, P.G.

PFAS Destruction in Various Medias

Susan Sitkoff, P.G., Capital Improvement Plan Division Environmental Manager, City of Orlando

Promulgation of the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations for PFAS in drinking water implicates municipalities with the responsibility of ensuring the public has access to safe drinking water and warrants further actions to update and maintain existing infrastructure to meet these established criteria.  PFAS contaminants have been known to enter, transform, and accumulate in water and wastewater treatment plants with waste media and effluent streams being discharged to multiple different locations.  Traditional methods of disposal, including land application, was replaced with landfill disposal because of PFAS concerns, so the City of Orlando was seeking a means for on-site destruction to help reduce costs.  To address these concerns, the City evaluated different treatment options and selected a Super Critical Water Oxidation (SCWO) system for pilot testing at the Iron Bridge Waste Water Treatment Plant.  The SCWO system was installed and has been testing PFAS destruction from different waste streams, including waste-activated sludge from the plant.  This presentation intends to discuss the details of the SCWO system, capabilities of the system, baseline and performance monitoring associated with the pilot test, and lessons learned.

Project Manager for assessment and remediation projects in the City of Orlando. Mrs. Sitkoff is a licensed Professional Geologist with over 30 years of experience in environmental assessment and remediation. Her experience includes assessment and remediation of petroleum hydrocarbons, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, inorganics, pesticide, and PFAS impacted sites at various commercial sites throughout the country. Mrs. Sitkoff spent over 23 years working on assessment and remediation at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station prior to coming to work for the City of Orlando.