PFAS Treatment for Industrial Wastewater
PFAS contamination presents a complex challenge for industrial wastewater, leachate and waste management.
Qtech Australia develops practical, site-specific treatment pathways to capture PFAS and other persistent contaminants from challenging wastewater streams.
Our approach combines treatment chemistry, process engineering, solids separation, automation and ongoing support to develop a complete treatment solution based on the water you actually need to treat.
Request a PFAS Treatability Assessment
For eligible commercial and industrial sites.
What are PFAS?
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a large group of manufactured chemicals known for their persistence in the environment.
They can enter wastewater from industrial processes, waste streams, contaminated materials and a range of other sources. Because PFAS do not readily break down, managing them requires careful assessment of both the water being treated and what happens to the captured contaminants.
Australia’s PFAS NEMP provides nationally consistent guidance for investigating, assessing and managing PFAS contamination and waste
PFAS treatment isn't just about removing PFAS from water
Capturing PFAS is only one part of the treatment process.
A practical system also needs to consider:
- PFAS concentration and composition
- Wastewater chemistry and flow
- Treatment dose and contact time
- Separation of treatment solids
- Management of PFAS-containing residual waste
- Downstream treatment requirements
- Operating cost per kilolitre
- The intended destination of the treated water
Introducing
P-FiQX
Preliminary testing achieved 96.8% PFHxA reduction
P-FiQX is Qtech Australia’s adsorption treatment product developed for the capture of persistent contaminants such as PFAS within engineered wastewater treatment systems.
Qtech has invested months in research, testing and refinement using actual industrial leachate, combining treatment chemistry with controlled dosing, contact time and solids recovery.
In preliminary testing on biomass composting leachate, PFHxA was reduced from 0.62 µg/L to 0.02 µg/L at a P-FiQX dose of 4,000 mg/L.
Several other individual PFAS compounds in the treated sample were reported below the laboratory reporting limit of 0.02 µg/L.
Results are water and condition specific.
Treatability testing and site trials are required to establish repeatability, treatment capacity, residual management and downstream requirements. Results do not by themselves establish suitability for discharge, irrigation or reuse.
Where PFAS treatment may be applied
Potential applications include:
- Landfill and Resource Recovery Leachate
- Industrial Wastewater
- Recycling Washwaters
- Industrial Washdown Water
- Selected Manufacturing Effluents
- Existing Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades
- New Wastewater Treatment Systems
For NSW landfills and sewage treatment plants
From 1 October 2026, licensed landfills and sewage treatment plants covered by the NSW EPA PFAS Chemical Control Order are required to undertake specified PFAS monitoring and reporting.
Qtech can support sites moving from monitoring and understanding their wastewater to assessing practical treatment pathways where PFAS management is required.
How Qtech develops a PFAS treatment solution
We don’t just supply a PFAS treatment product. We develop the process around your wastewater.
Qtech can take the project from initial water assessment and bench testing through pilot trials, engineering, plant design, installation, commissioning, operator training and ongoing service.
01 — Assess the wastewater
Review PFAS analysis, water chemistry, flows, existing treatment infrastructure, disposal costs and treatment objectives.
02 — Test the treatment
Bench testing determines how the wastewater responds and evaluates P-FiQX dose, mixing, contact time and contaminant capture.
03 — Separate the captured contaminants
Trials establish the appropriate solids recovery method, which may include DAF, clarification or filtration.
04 — Engineer the complete system
Where the process is demonstrated, Qtech can design and integrate the required pretreatment, solids handling and downstream treatment into an existing or new wastewater system.
Have PFAS in your wastewater?
The first step isn’t choosing equipment. It’s understanding how your wastewater responds to treatment.
Prefer to speak with us?
Call +61 2 9960 3377 or email talk2us@qtechaustralia.com
Request a PFAS Treatability Assessment
Share your recent water analysis, typical and peak flows, current treatment or disposal method and the outcome you’re trying to achieve.
OUR CLIENTs
We’re proud to work with organisations that value performance, reliability, and environmental responsibility as much as we do.
” Qtech’s support, from the top down, is impeccable.
They turn up whenever we need them and always find a way to save the day.
They’ve saved us thousands just by lowering our BODs. I would recommend Qtech to anyone who values reliable support and real results. “
Claude Gebrael
Engineering & Maintenance Manager – Steric