Landfill sites can utilize ashes from grate-fire incineration plants for ex-situ stabilization at negative cost, thus preventing PFAS contaminated leachate waters
Soil deposition in landfill is a common remediation method for soils contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), but PFAS losses occur via landfill leachate. These losses can be reduced by strategically utilizing other depo-sited waste materials for ex-situ contaminant stabilization. An approach to stabilize PFAS in soils using active carbon and eight types of wastes is presented. A subset of waste types, all originating from grate-fire incineration plants, achieved extraordinarily high removal of PFAS. The removal was up to 98% (25% addition) of the sum of six dominant PFAS for a field-contaminated soil and >99% of the sum of 11 PFAS for a fortified soil (10/25% addition). The removal mechanism remains unknown.