The Zimpro® Electro Oxidation (ZEO) technology is a robust and effective technology, proven to destroy the most resilient contaminants including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in both long and short chain lengths. It is the only technology that treats PFAS waste using free standing boron doped diamond electrodes. The term “free standing” indicates that these electrodes are not fabricated by putting a thin layer of diamond onto a metallic substrate, but instead are entirely composed of boron doped diamond. The result is a superior performing PFAS destruction process and best-in-class electrode lifespan.
PFAS environmental contamination is a global issue that must be solved to keep the environment safe for generations to come. The ZEO technology focuses on solving this worldwide problem by delivering effective and economic solutions to wastewater and municipal water customers to destroy PFAS compounds.
How It Works
When electricity is applied to the electrodes, oxidation occurs through two pathways. The first is production of hydroxyl radical oxidizers from the electrolysis of water. Hydroxyl radicals are one of the strongest oxidizing agents and can destroy long chain PFAS compounds but are not efficient at destroying some small chain PFAS compounds.
Additionally, the electrodes themselves are involved in the PFAS destruction through direct oxidation on the surface. The amount and degree of oxidation that can occur in electro oxidation processes are directly related to the amount current that is applied to the electrodes. Free standing boron doped diamond electrodes can operate at current densities 100X higher than conventional solid metal or coated electrodes. The net result is destruction of a large volume of PFAS and destruction of even the most resilient short chain fluorinated compounds.
There are many ways to collect and concentrate PFAS waste from water sources and remediation of contaminated waste. These include consumable media absorption, foam fractionation, pressurized membranes and regenerable ion exchange media. The ZEO process can be applied to destroy the waste from any of these collection techniques.
Applications
- Drinking water
- Municipal wastewater
- Industrial wastewater
- Landfill leachate
- Firefighting foam
- Environmental remediation
Benefits
- Destroys PFAS of all chain lengths
- Destroys PFAS in a water contaminated with organic compounds
- Increases long electrode lifetime greater than 10 years
- Allows for automated, safe and simple operation
- Operates at low temperature (<60 °C) and pressure (<2 bar)
- Scales to various size applications due to modular, flexible design
- Proven, commercialized technology that has been operating in industrial applications for more than 15 years