PFAS stormwater filtration relies on media engineered to bind dissolved PFAS compounds as water passes through, and Abtech Industries builds that capture into formats sized to the site's catchment and discharge requirements.
PFAS stormwater filtration works by passing runoff through an engineered media bed that binds PFAS compounds as water flows through, rather than relying on settling or screening. Abtech Industries makes this media, called Smart Sponge® Quanta™, available for pilot and full-scale deployments, and the format that holds it — catch basin insert, vault, or pressure vessel — is chosen to match the site, not the other way around.
Why Doesn't Sediment Control Catch PFAS?
Sediment control and standard stormwater best management practices are built to settle out solids: dirt, debris, and particulate-bound pollutants drop out of suspension or get screened by a filter fabric. PFAS compounds don't behave that way. They stay dissolved in the water column, so a catch basin sump, a hydrodynamic separator, or a trash screen lets them pass straight through. This is the same gap that lets dissolved metals, bacteria, and phosphorus slip past particulate-focused controls — the pollutant fraction matters more than the overall pollutant load. A permit holder relying solely on sediment removal to satisfy an NPDES or MS4 permit condition that references PFAS is treating the particulate fraction while leaving the dissolved fraction untouched.
How Does Media-Based Capture Actually Bind PFAS?
Smart Sponge® Quanta™ is one media in a family that also includes standard Smart Sponge® for hydrocarbons, Smart Sponge® HM for dissolved metals and phosphorus, Smart Sponge® Plus for bacteria, and Smart Sponge® AC for dissolved organics that raise total organic carbon. Each is formulated for a different contaminant class, and Abtech's principle is that the media follows the contaminant while the format follows the site. Because several of these media types can be combined within one system, a site carrying more than one contaminant group — say, PFAS alongside dissolved metals from a fire-training area or an industrial yard — does not necessarily need separate treatment trains for each pollutant.
The formats that carry PFAS-targeted media span a range of infrastructure types. Deployment options for Smart Sponge media include bulk media loaded into a customer's existing pressure vessels, skids, tanks, or vaults, as well as Abtech's own vessels and the skid-mounted Smart Skid. Smart Skid systems are installed with pumps, pressure, and flow controls — they are not passive — which matters for sites weighing power availability and operating complexity against a vault or catch-basin retrofit that runs without pumps.
What Site Conditions Actually Change the System Design?
No two sites present PFAS the same way. A municipal wastewater operator working toward a discharge or reuse limit is usually polishing a known volume at a known point, often with other treatment steps already in place upstream. An airport or transportation agency managing a PFAS legacy from firefighting foam use is instead dealing with large paved catchments where flow swings sharply with weather and runoff carries whatever the surface has picked up since the last storm. A marina, boatyard, or marine terminal sits somewhere between — smaller footprint, but discharge points close to sensitive receiving water. These differences change which format makes sense: a catch basin insert fits a storm drain network with many discrete inlets, while bulk media in a vault or pressure vessel suits a site with one or two concentrated discharge points and more available space to house a larger media volume. Abtech's Ultra-Urban® Filter inserts were selected for an airport stormwater program to treat deicing-season runoff across paved airfield catchments, which illustrates the pattern: a catchment with many inlets and seasonal flow spikes favored a custom-fabricated insert sized to each basin's geometry rather than a single centralized vessel.
Does a PFAS System Need Testing Before It's Installed?
Because PFAS concentration, co-occurring contaminants, and flow patterns vary so much from one discharge point to the next, Abtech starts every project by assessing the water and the site before specifying equipment. For larger or more complex applications, that assessment can extend into testing the customer's actual water in a controlled setting before committing to full-scale media volume, which helps a permit holder confirm media selection against their specific water chemistry rather than a generic contaminant profile. Abtech has reported that its media was selected for a multi-site PFAS treatment evaluation, consistent with this pattern of testing before scaling up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is PFAS stormwater filtration passive, or does it need power?
It depends on the format. Catch basin inserts and similar drop-in formats are designed to run without pumps or power. Smart Skid systems, by contrast, are installed with pumps, pressure, and flow controls, so they are not a power-free option — that trade-off is part of choosing a format for a given site.
Can one system treat PFAS and other stormwater pollutants together?
Smart Sponge® media types, including Quanta™ for PFAS, HM for dissolved metals and phosphorus, Plus for bacteria, and AC for dissolved organics, can be combined within a single system when a site's water carries more than one contaminant class.
What permit programs typically drive PFAS stormwater treatment decisions?
Dischargers usually approach this under NPDES, MSGP, MS4, or SWPPP obligations, or as part of a wastewater operator's work toward a discharge or reuse limit. The specific permit driver shapes which discharge points need treatment and how performance gets documented.
Does a catch basin insert work for PFAS the same way it works for trash or sediment?
No — a catch basin insert built for trash and debris capture relies on physical screening, which does not address dissolved PFAS. Treating PFAS requires PFAS-targeted media, such as Smart Sponge® Quanta™, installed in a format suited to the basin, not just a screen or sump.
How do I know if my site needs bulk media or a catch basin insert?
That depends on how your discharge points are configured — many small inlets across a storm drain network generally point toward inserts, while one or two concentrated discharge points with more room for equipment may suit bulk media in a vault or pressure vessel. A site assessment is the practical way to work out which fits your catchment, and you can review Abtech's deployment formats or get in touch to schedule a site assessment as a starting point.