A4 TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2023 JACKSON CITIZEN PATRIOT
PFAS CONTAMINATION
Forever no more? Treatment touted as PFAS ‘annihilator’
Continues from A1
leachate from three Michigan landfills.
Leachate — the slurry that collects at the
bottom of landfills — typically contains
high concentrations of PFAS chemicals.
Leachate often goes to a municipal waste-
water plant, which passes the chemicals
into waterways because standard treat-
ment processes cannot remove the PFAS
compounds.
Michigan wastewater plants must limit
their discharge to 12 ppt for the individual
compound PFOS, which readily accumu-
lates in the organs of fish and other aquatic
life. Most wastewater plants require waste-
water pre-treatment from industrial cus-
tomers.
Brian Recatto, president of Crystal
Clean, contacted Battelle in 2020 after
learning about its supercritical research.
Michigan was eventually chosen for the
project launch because it has aggressive
water quality standards.
commonly known as PCBs. Two years ago,
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
identified the process as one of four prom-
ising technologies for destroying PFAS but
noted that its widespread application had
been limited by high energy demand and
other technological challenges.
Battelle is not the only entity to devise a
supercritical PFAS destruction method. A
North Carolina company called 374Water
is marketing a similar supercritical pro-
cess, which is scheduled to debut commer-
cially this year in California at the Orange
County Sanitation District, where it will
treat biosolid sludges as part of a demon-
stration project.
But Battelle, Revive and Crystal Clean
are claiming first-to-market status with
the Annihilator, which is already commer-
cially treating leachate using the super-
critical process.
“Most of the PFAS destruction meth-
STARTING AT THE SOURCE
ods are still at bench scale, field scale
or pilot project stage,” said Abby Hen-
dershott, director of the Michigan PFAS Contaminated water is brought in for treatment during a tour of the PFAS Annihilator at
Action Response Team at the Department Revive Environmental in Wyoming in June. Photos by Drew Travis, MLive.com
of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
The foam fractionation units that con-
centrate PFAS before destruction are
designed for installation at landfills and
other industrial sites, Reccato said.
“We would concentrate the waste at
the source and then truck the resulting
concentrate back to our facilities where
the Annihilator would be located,” he
said.
Depending on the logistics of getting
the raw water to the process units, Recatto
said the treatment cost is running between
15 and 40 cents per gallon.
Crystal Clean has 11 facilities around
the country ready for an Annihilator.
Trueba said there are currently six units in
production and planned for deployment
this fall.
Up to 25 might be built, he said, depend-
ing on demand.
OTHER METHODS
Alongside supercritical oxidation, other
destruction technologies such as pyrolysis
and gasification, hydrothermal alkaline
treatment and electrochemical oxidation
are emerging.
“I’m very excited to see these things
starting to get into a real large-scale
applicability,” said Hendershott, whose
team, MPART, coordinates investigations
into more than 250 sites around Michi-
gan where PFAS has contaminated the
groundwater, rivers and other ecosys-
tems.
“They all have a place and there’s no one
technology that’s going to be right for all The Annihilator is a sustainable, cost-effective solution that permanently removes PFAS
In addition to landfill leachate and
industrial wastewater, the technology also
the sites and all the different solutions,” from contaminated waters and breaks it down into basic nontoxic elements, resulting in destroys PFAS in firefighting foam. Bat-
she said. “We have to really look at how do no polluting byproducts.
we use the research and the technology to
best fit the individual sites.”
telle also has contracts with the Depart-
ment of Defense, including one to even-
tually deploy an Annihilator unit at
In Wyoming, Revive’s equipment is set process and then fed into the Annihila- — electricity from the chemical reaction Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda to
up inside the Heritage Crystal-Clean facil- tor, which can process up to 500 gallons itself can be recycled to cut down on costs. process PFAS-contaminated water pulled
ity, where the Annihilator fits inside a pair per day. The full treatment is branded
of shipping containers. One contains a “4never.”
technician lab and the other performs the
The actual destruction step takes less from the ground during ongoing remedial
than a minute. The water that comes out investigations.
of the Annihilator is typically below a
“It’s a tremendous opportunity for us.
destruction.
MAKING IT WORK
Although the energy demand for get- dal.
detection or reporting limit, said Din- It’s a billion dollar-plus market — multibil-
Tanker trucks bring in more than
lion dollars if you believe everything you
100,000 gallons of raw, untreated landfill ting water to supercritical conditions is
leachate a day. The raw material is concen- high — Trueba said the Annihilator uses trillion range.”
“Typically, it’s in the single parts per read,” Recatto said. “We’re very optimis-
tic about it.
trated using a surface foam fractionation a “couple kilowatts an hour” on startup
The facility is currently processing
“Expect to see us in other states soon.”
MICHIGAN POLITICS
Senator is first Black woman overseeing state spending
Continues from A1
“It has shaken up the institution a bit, and I’m OK with missioner. She was deputy director of the Michigan College that’s what it takes.”
that.”
The shake-up is evident the moment you walk into tion, for nearly a decade.
Anthony’s Capitol office. Portraits of past Appropriations
chairs line a wall. All have one glaring similarity — they are sented Lansing since her election to the state House in 2018.
older white men. The capital city is one of the larger and more diverse an emergency. Once they were able to connect, she said her
“When I look at that wall of the men who have, like, done mid-Michigan cities, with about 22% of its residents living at mother simply wanted to know how she was doing.
this job before me, I know that they didn’t have the same or below the poverty line. The view from her office balcony “My mother does not see me as the appropriations chair,
Access Network, which prepares students for higher educa-
Later in the day, Anthony missed multiple calls from her
mother, one of several women she references as a strong
A freshman member of the Senate, Anthony has repre- presence in her life.
She was in the throes of a busy session but prepared for
level of community connection,” Anthony said. “Particularly — of the Michigan State University campus, wealthy lobby- she does not see me as a senator, she sees me as her baby,”
like communities of color, they expect you to show up. They ists and the city’s homeless — is a staunch reminder of the Anthony said. “She is good for seeing me on the news and
expect you to be present for the church service, and you don’t varying aspects of Lansing life, Anthony said.
just show your face, you stay for the whole church service.” Working alongside House Appropriations Chair Angela
saying ‘Baby, you look tired,’ or, ‘Make sure to get some rest’.”
Jim Stamas, a Midland Republican no longer in office
Anthony graduated from Everett High School on Lan- Witwer, who is another Democratic legislator also from because of term limits, can relate. He served as appropria-
sing’s south side and earned degrees from Central Michi- mid-Michigan, in Delta Township, Anthony said she hopes tions chair from 2019 to 2022.
gan and Western Michigan universities. Before her time in to make Lansing “look and feel like a capital city should.” For
the Capitol, Anthony served as an Ingham County com- her, that means more entertainment and cultural activities, more. Then, your mind doesn’t usually stop,” Stamas said.
in addition to affordable housing. “I think she’s done a nice job navigating those waters in the
Because she believed she could do more work at the state first year.”
“It’s not a 9-to-5 job, it’s closer to 16-hour days, if not a little
Department of Natural Resources
Forest Resource Division
Administrative Rules for Commercial Forests
Rule Set 2021-75 NR
level than in Washington, D.C., she is forgoing a run for U.S.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s open congressional seat after months of Anthony for a lack of transparency throughout the budget
speculation.
In the past few months, Republican senators criticized
process. The budget is the largest in Michigan history and
“There (are) other careers that I could absolutely choose the first under an all Democratic-led state government in
that I can make more money, I can travel more, I wouldn’t four decades.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Thursday, August 17, 2023
02:00 PM
have as much scrutiny, but I love my city,” she said.
But the “political theater,” as she likes to call it, doesn’t
On any given day on the Senate floor, Anthony is rarely sway her plans.
ConHall-AT-ConCon
Constitution Hall, 525 West Allegan Street,
Lansing, MI 48933
stationary at her desk. She is often buzzing about, talking to
different lawmakers about policy matters or running back to then there’s the private relationships,” Anthony said. “I have
her office for meetings with stakeholders.
“It’s interesting, like there’s the public relationship and
grown really thick skin to see Republicans who are blasting
Anthony is known among her colleagues, staff and com- me, blasting Democrats.”
The Department of Natural Resources will hold a public
hearing to receive public comments on proposed changes to
the Commercial Forests rule set.
munity as an authentic communicator capable of building
strong relationships.
No other Republican may have worked as closely with
Anthony this year than Senate Appropriations Minority Vice
The proposed rule changes are intended to provide clarification
of administrative processes and remove language in conflict
with Part 511, Commercial Forests, of the Natural Resources
and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451, as amended.
“I’ve just been really impressed with her,” Brinks said.
“She had all the right ingredients to be a fantastic appropri- get quite the same thing when you’re in the majority, and
ations chair.”
But Anthony’s rising success hasn’t been without its chal-
lenges.
More than once, she’s been the target of racist and misog- person, and not that we have to agree politically on anything
ynistic threats that required law enforcement intervention. or things all the time.”
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, an armed security
detail of activists had to escort her to and from the Capitol as she thinks have too often been overlooked.
armed protesters loomed over lawmakers in objection to the
governor’s stay-home-order.
Most recently, her job requires constantly juggling inter- The Legislature also passed a bill to raise the legal of mar-
ests of her fellow lawmakers, long nights of negotiations and riage in Michigan to 18, which she initially proposed in 2018.
“I know when you’re in the minority, you’re not going to
By authority conferred on the department of natural resources
by part 511 of the natural resources and environmental
protection act, 1994 PA 451, MCL 324.51101 to 324.51120.
people need to understand that,” Bumstead said.
When speaking about Anthony, he added, “She’s a smart
gal and she’s fun to work and to be around. She’s just a good
The proposed rules will take effect immediately after filing with
the Secretary of State. The proposed rules are published on
in the 8/15/2023 issue of the Michigan Register.
Copies of these proposed rules may also be obtained by mail
or electronic mail at the following email address: Maidlowk@
michigan.gov.
Anthony said she is motivated by communities of people
First introduced in 2019, her CROWN Act bill to ban race-
based hair discrimination in Michigan became law in June.
Comments on these proposed rules may be made at the
hearing, by mail, or by electronic mail at the following
addresses until 8/31/2023 at 05:00PM.
anxiety about ensuring the state budget reflects the needs of
Michiganders.
The morning the Legislature passed the 2023-24 budget,
she reflected on months of work and personal sacrifice.
“Did you have ever a time where you’re like, I just wanted see themselves in the state budget, which in my mind is one
to like throw in the towel?” Anthony said. “I’ve always of the most powerful mechanisms for change in politics,”
wanted to take the job really seriously ... being the ‘first she said.
only’ thing and just by nature. This being my first budget, I
wanted to be more of a technician than a politician, because breaking glass ceilings. It was a gift from former Lansing
I don’t want to just repeat talking points. state Rep. Joan Bauer, who employed Anthony before she
“So I am actually exhausted. ... But you know, I think became a lawmaker.
A woman of faith, she said it’s a blessing to help bridge the
gap between her community and state government.
“Hopefully, my legacy is being able to have an ear to the
streets and bring those perspectives here, so that they can
Department of Natural Resources, Forest Resources Division,
ATTN: Karen Maidlow
P.O. Box 30452, Lansing, MI 48909
The public hearing will be conducted in compliance with the
1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. If the hearing is held at a
physical location, the building will be accessible with handicap
parking available. Anyone needing assistance to take part in
the hearing due to disability may call 517-930-4329 to make
The day the budget passed, she wore a pin symbolizing
arrangements.
10704943-01
