Welcome back to Talking PFAS Podcast, and if you are joining us for the first time a very special welcome. I am a journalist and your host Kayleen Bell. Today’s episode was also recorded in September in Adelaide, South Australia at the International Clean-Up Conference.
My guests today are Gavin Scherer and Rachael Casson from AECOM and first up I will be speaking with Gavin Scherer. Following my chat with Gavin I will be speaking with Rachael Casson, and you will hear her introduction before my discussion with Rachael.
Gavin has over 23 of consulting experience in environmental and contaminated land assessment and remediation. The past 15 years has been in the service of AECOM. During his time in AECOM Gavin has led teams in both Australia and New Zealand including Australia’s largest geosciences and remediation services team, the Australian Department of Defence client account as well as Australia and New Zealand’s PFAS response teams. Currently Gavin leads AECOM’s global PFAS commercialisation strategy, which includes focusing AECOM’s global team to develop, trial and bring to market a world-first onsite cost effective PFAS destruction solution known as De-Fluoro and Gavin is going to explain what De-Fluoro is in today’s episode.
Rachael serves as a Director of AECOM’s International PFAS Program focusing on innovation and technical excellence. She has over 22 years of consulting experience in contamination, assessment and management. In 2008, Rachael recognised the emerging concern over PFAS with aviation and Defence clients positioning the AECOM team at the leading edge of the PFAS science. She has worked on over 100+ PFAS related projects across the globe. Rachael is part of the De-Fluoro Technical Development Team an electrochemical process that destroys PFAS in solution. Her other research programs include plant PFAS uptake study and evaluation of the transformation of PFAS precursors into perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) downgradient of known source zones.
AECOM’s De-Fluoro technology won the CRC Care Innovation Award at the 2022 International Clean-Up Conference in Adelaide. The CRC Innovation Award recognises researchers and environmental consultants who develop innovative ways to monitor, assess and remediate environmental contamination. The Award aims to inspire industry, businesses, communities, local government, schools and individuals to take action toward a more sustainable future. AECOM’s De-Fluoro technology is one of the first commercially available economical and environmentally sustainable on-site destruction treatment for high concentration PFAS waste. AECOM’s Global Initiative Leader, Gavin Scherer said the technology uses electrochemical oxidation to break the carbon-fluorine bonds in PFAS which causes the molecules to break down.
An estimated $2-$4 billion dollars worth of work is required to treat PFAS over the next decade.
Link to Details about AECOM Award at 2022 International Clean-Up Conference presented by CRC Care
https://az659834.vo.msecnd.net/eventsairaueprod/production-eventstudio-public/dd56e1e2846e452493a19f52014e910d
AECOM Website
https://aecom.com/
Please note: I am an independent journalist and a podcaster no money was received for today’s interview. If in the future money is received from remediation companies (as sponsorship) to support the continuation of this podcast I will disclose this. Also any discussions with remediation companies is for information purposes, I am not endorsing any product or remediation method over another.
Copyright: Please share the episode (in whole) with acknowledgement via social media or website, but anyone wishing to edit, alter, or republish any information from this podcast in another form is subject to copyright and must contact the rights holder at TalkingPFAS@gmail.com.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ep 44 Talking PFAS CRC Care Masterclass with Paul Nathanail (UK) & Scott Warner (US)
Ep 43 (PFAS Australia) EPOC Enviro Peter Murphy SAFF - PFAS removal using Foam Fractionation - 26:4:2023, 10.11 pm
Ep 42 (PFAS in US) - US EPA PFAS Regulation & Litigation US (Attorney John Gardella Boston)
Ep 41 (PFAS in US) Scott Coffin California - At Clean-Up Conference 2022 Adelaide, South Australia
Ep 40 (PFAS in Australia) Dr Mark Bowman GHD- At Clean-Up Conference 2022, Adelaide, South Australia
Ep 38 (PFAS in Australia) Richard Stewart RemBind PFAS solution for soil - At Clean Up Conference 2022, Adelaide, South Australia
Ep 37 (PFAS in UK) Paul Nathanail UK LQM - At Clean Up Conference 2022 , Adelaide, South Australia
Ep 36 (PFAS in Australia) Dr Shaun Thomas EPA SA PFAS Biosolids & NEMP 3 Clean Up Conference 2022 Adelaide, South Australia
Ep 35 (PFAS in Australia) Prof Mark Patrick Taylor - At Clean Up Conference 2022, Adelaide, South Australia
Ep 34 (PFAS in Sweden) Professor Ian Cousins - "Outside the safe operating space of a new planetary boundary for PFAS"
Ep 33 (PFAS in US) Boston Attorney John Gardella - Major PFAS developments in the US
Ep 32 (PFAS Australia, Sweden, US) - Recap of Talking PFAS (from Ep 18-30)
Ep 31 (PFAS in US) Alissa Cordner, The True Cost of PFAS, Environmental Sociologist Washington State, US, Season Finale
Ep 30 (PFAS in US) Dr Katie Pelch Fort Worth Texas discusses the PFAS Tox Database
Ep29 (PFAS in US) PFAS in cosmetics with Boston Attorney John Gardella Talking PFAS News
Ep 28 (PFAS in US) PFAS Michigan Talking PFAS Feature with reporter Garret Ellison
Ep 27 (PFAS in US) PFAS in Michigan, PFAS in rain, 3M sues State of Michigan, Reporter Garret Ellison Mlive Talking PFAS News
Ep 26 (PFAS in Australia) Talking PFAS News Tasmania use of PFAS Firefighting Foams - Guests Rob Inglis Journalist Sharon McLay candidate state election May 2021
Ep 25 NSW EPA PFAS Firefighting Ban - Claire Smith Environmental Lawyer Talking PFAS News 17 May 2021
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