In 2025, the PFAS contamination issue is everywhere, both literally and metaphorically. It’s a prominent news topic both within the industry and now amongst the general public too. The problem is ever-growing, with global awareness on the rise. The increasingly strict legislation being introduced is a good thing, but presents a challenge when it comes to treatment options.

We’ve been talking about PFAS for several years now and working behind the scenes to develop effective methods to remove these strong and stable man-made chemicals (so strong, in fact, that they are frequently dubbed the ‘forever chemicals’) and to completely eliminate them, rather than simply condense and move them on.

This was a challenge that we have now successfully solved and have developed a solution to a forever problem by taking spent carbon, reactivating it and removing the PFAS in the process. Jacobi has been granted an official permit to supply carbon to customers that will be treating drinking water, as well as industrial wastewater. 

At Jacobi we have been treating PFAS problems for three years. When we first started, we imposed our own strict limits that exceeded what was required by the authorities. We are a sustainably minded and focused company and wanted to protect the environment and our people from the harmful effects of PFAS. (Consumption has proven links to cancers and hormone disruption, amongst several other undesirable health effects.)

“The law at the time felt inadequate and we have a responsibility to the environment and people,” said Jan Reinier Gosker, Jacobi EMEA’s Business Development and Marketing Director. “We knew we needed to go the extra mile.”

We were able to treat the problem and recycle the spent carbon without releasing any PFAS into the air, water, or land, thus treating the carbon in the safest manner possible. We have been working to these high standards ever since.

A Testing Challenge

Analysts were called in to test the carbon at various stages throughout the process to ensure that no PFAS was detected. Zero PFAS doesn’t exist, 100% destruction is considered almost impossible, however when targeting specific PFAS, it can be lowered to undetectable levels and the testing showed that we achieved this.

As a result of this testing, the relevant authorities recognised the high standards to which we work, and granted the drinking water permit, and shortly after, a permit for industrial wastewater as well. 

These permits are incredibly important to us and means our customers can be assured that we work safely and with consideration for the environment and the planet’s inhabitants.

Not Just Drinking Water - Industrial Water Streams Need Treatment Too

With our plant in Premnitz also certified for industrial PFAS treatment, we can effectively address the two areas affected by PFAS contamination: water and soil.

Industrial customers cover firstly soil remediation, where the ground is contaminated with PFAS which needs to be removed. Although all soil is affected by PFAS to some level, this is most common in areas close to factories that use PFAS in their production processes, air bases, and fire-fighting training areas. (Both industrial de-icer and fire-fighting foam contain high levels of PFAS.) Sometimes the soil needs treatment for the safety of residents and other times it is because the ground must be safe for new building work to take place.

The second treatment is landfill leachate, where contaminated water leaches from the landfill site into the ground. Again, this treatment is often necessary because there are plans to build on the ground but it can be for the safety of local people too. Both domestic landfill and industrial waste can cause PFAS problems.

Several options for treatment are available, however, activated carbon is the most effective and offers the most environmental benefits too. The other options for treatment, membranes or electrolysis, for example, leave behind a concentration of PFAS. When treating with carbon, the PFAS is adsorbed and the spent carbon is also now contaminated with PFAS, however, the difference here is that it can be removed through reactivation. By removing the PFAS from the saturated carbon, we are able to put an end to the problem entirely, rather than disposing of the concentrated PFAS and simply relocating the problem.

The use of reactivated carbon has multiple benefits. Not only is it cost-effective for the customer, it is also a lot more environmentally friendly than using virgin carbon and it gives peace of mind that the PFAS has been completely destroyed.

At Jacobi, we can offer a comprehensive and full cycle solution to PFAS problems. Our three business units: activated carbon, services, and resins, mean that we have all angles covered. We are able to supply the carbon that is needed, alongside resins that can tackle the variations that activated carbon can’t. (The term PFAS encompasses several thousand chemicals, each with a different composition. Resins effectively treat short-chain variations whilst activated carbon is used for long-chains.)

Alongside the products, we can also provide the mobile filter units that are needed for treatment. and as much or as little technical expertise is required. Media handling and logistics can all be executed by our services teams as well as any necessary technical support, troubleshooting, lab-testing and evaluations.

Combining all three business units puts us in a strong position to effectively and efficiently deal with our customers’PFAS problems. There is no need for customers to work with several different companies for each aspect of their treatment solution and deal with the extra workload that comes with this. Jacobi offers an effective solution that’s dealt with entirely in one place and we are the only company that can do this.

If you’re experiencing a PFAS problem and need advice, contact our dedicated team on PFAS@jacobi.net and one of our experts will be in touch to help. You can also read more on our PFAS page.