Method and system for removing contaminants from soil

A method for removing PFAS contaminants from contaminated soil and/or sediments (“soil”) at a site, comprising:

• soil diagnostic testing including the steps of:
• extracting a representative sample of the contaminated soil from the site;
• segregating the sample into a plurality of size fractions according to particle size;
• segregating each of the size fractions into a plurality of density fractions according to particle density;
• testing the plurality of density fractions to determine PFAS contamination concentration levels in the sample and in process water used to remove PFAS contamination;
• and
• soil field system design and implementation based upon the soil diagnostic testing, including:
• selecting a set of components based upon the size fractions, the density fractions, and the PFAS contamination concentration levels in those fractions;
• extracting the contaminated soil from the site;
• isolating soil fractions from the contaminated soil at the site corresponding to the identified contaminated density fractions from the sample;
• processing the isolated soil fractions to remove the PFAS contaminants therefrom;
• treating the processed soil fractions from the site corresponding to the identified contaminated fractions by one or more of deagglomeration, attrition, scrubbing, and/or exposure of soil particulates to a water-based wash solution to desorb PFAS from the soil particles and move PFAS into the process water;
• removing PFAS from the process water by performing the steps of:
• pumping the process water through one or more sedimentation or sand filters to remove suspended solids:
• filtering the water with removed suspended solids through a series of one or more granular activated carbon (GAC) vessels;
• pumping the filtered water output from the GAC vessels through one or more of an ion exchange filtration process, reverse osmosis, or nanofiltration to substantially remove PFAS contaminants;
• applying a destructive technology to any PFAS contaminated brine resulting from the exchange filtration, reverse osmosis, or nanofiltration process, thereby resulting in water free of PFAS contaminants;
• and
• returning the water free of PFAS contaminants to one or more components of a soil treatment system to continue processing the isolated soil fractions to remove the PFAS contaminants therefrom.