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WCG - LEEF System
The Water & Carbon Group (WCG) has revolutionized the treatment of landfill leachate with the LEEF System®, a patented technology tailored to tackle Persistent Organic Pollutants, including the notorious PFAS compounds. Originating from pilot-plant studies in Australia, the LEEF System® employs a multi-staged, continuous flow foam fractionation process integrated with an enclosed solar distilling system. This innovative combination leverages air, gravity, and solar energy to efficiently remove PFAS contaminants. Air bubbles introduced into the system capture PFAS, rising to the top and being skimmed off, achieving remarkable purity in the treated waste stream. Designed with scalability in mind, the system can handle volumes from 500 to over 500,000 gallons per day, making it suitable for diverse site constraints. Besides, WCG's extensive testing has validated the system's efficacy in treating highly contaminated waste streams, delivering consistent performance with low energy consumption and without the need for chemicals. The LEEF System® is currently operational in various locations, including the Shoal Bay Leachate Treatment Plant in Darwin, effectively treating millions of gallons of leachate annually. With its modular, operator-friendly design, it is poised to lead the market in cost-effective and reliable PFAS removal solutions.
The Water & Carbon Group (WCG) is an Australia-based company that pioneered the development of the LEEF System® process and technology.
WCG undertook pilot-plant studies to test various treatment technologies. However, none proved effective or efficient in high-strength wastewater like leachate.
Landfill leachate poses a significant challenge due to its high concentrations of a range of organic and inorganic contaminants, rendering conventional removal methods such as Granular Activated Carbon (GAC), Resins (IX), Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Electrochemical Oxidation (EO) ineffective or cost -prohibitive.
Foam fractionation, commonly used in the water sector, showed promise over other technologies. PFAS was an emerging concern in Australia and so WCG developed a market-leading solution, leveraging expertise gained from addressing PFAS in Australia.
WCG engineers designed a patented technology that led to the development of the innovative LEEF System®. In 2022, the first full-scale LEEF System® was successfully deployed in Darwin, Australia and effectively removes PFAS contamination on a daily basis.
To introduce this exciting PFAS removal solution to the United States market, the WCG has formed a partnership with Leachate Management Specialists (LMS) – a trusted US firm well-known for their expertise in the field of leachate management.
The LEEF System® is a patented technology combining multi-staged, continuous flow foam fractionation and includes an enclosed solar distilling system for enhanced waste volume reduction. This innovative process achieves PFAS removal harnessing the power of air, gravity and the sun.
PFAS attach to air bubbles and by introducing controlled amounts of air into the system in a specific manner, the air bubbles rise to the top and then are skimmed off and the PFAS contaminants removed.
This innovative technology has demonstrated its ability to remove key PFAS compounds down to very low concentrations directly from raw, untreated leachate. As a result, the LEEF System® enables the continued disposal of leachate at existing wastewater treatment plants.
Its unrivalled reliability, operability, and cost-effectiveness is what sets the LEEF System® apart compared to other technologies available in the market. With scalability ranging from 500 gallons per day (GPD) to over 500,000 GPD, the LEEF System® adapts seamlessly to a site’s space constraints, making it an ideal fit for any project.
- Direct PFAS removal without pre-treatment
- Eliminates the need for consumables
- Removes target PFAS compounds below the analytical limits of detection
- Consistently generates very low volume waste stream
- Modular, scalable, and adaptable design
- Energy and operational cost savings compared to other methods
- Wide range of treatment capacities
- Simple-to-operate and low-maintenance system
- Critically low residuals, often less than 0.5% waste stream
The LEEF System® has been validated through stringent testing on a wide range of PFAS waste streams. Its unique capabilities make it especially effective at targeting PFAS-impacted materials with high levels of co-contamination.
It is proven to remove targeted PFAS contaminants in a short operating time, treating PFAS to less than Limit of Detection (LoD). It consistently generates a very low volume waste stream, with further reductions possible using solar distillation or additional re-processing.
The LEEF System® is in full operation at the Shoal Bay Leachate Treatment Plant in Darwin, Australia, where it is successfully treating 13 million gallons of leachate each year.
The LEEF System® has also demonstrated success in treating some of the toughest leachates in the US, in Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, New York, Vermont, Alabama and Virginia with many more to be progressed.
The Water & Carbon Group and Leachate Management Specialists have a track record of delivering exceptional results. Their expertise and experience reinforce the reliability and effectiveness of the LEEF System®.
The LEEF System® is a foam fractionation technology modified to remove targeted PFAS compounds to the limit of detection with unparalleled efficiency.
Using a foam fractionation technique, the LEEF System® effectively removes the targeted compounds, with optimal results within a short operating time.
The LEEF System® is a unique, treatment solution engineered to remove PFAS contaminants from leachate using minimal energy and eliminating the need for consumables.
The adaptable LEEF System® can be tailored to meet your specific requirements, deployed as either a scalable or modular design or as a convenient containerized package plant for rapid deployment.
The LEEF System® is designed to be operator-friendly, thanks to streamlined processes that remove the burden of complex setups and time-consuming maintenance.