Project number: 2018-125
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $60,000.00
Principal Investigator: Wayne O'Connor
Organisation: NSW Department of Primary Industries
Project start/end date: 29 Apr 2019 - 30 Jan 2020
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Per- and poly-fluoroalklys (PFASs) are now emerging as pollutants with potentially catastrophic impact on aquaculture facilities. Two key research institutes have already demonstrated the presence of PFASs in marine fish broodstock and have observed impacts on offspring that are consistent with those observed in
literature studies. As testing continues there is the expectation that the number of facilities affected will increase. To compound the challenge our understanding of the impacts of PFASs on aquatic species is limited. In order to further assess these impacts, PFASs must be introduced into experimental systems in a
controlled fashion and therefore we must have the capacity to remove those pollutants before release. To protect our facilities and permit PFAS impacts research there is a need to rapidly assess available PFAS treatment technologies.

Objectives

1. confirm the effectiveness of ozofractionation and linseed infused polypropylene in the removal of PFAS from seawater,
2. investigate the impacts of flow rate through fractionation chambers on PFAS removal
3. test fractionation PFA removal efficiency without ozone and with ozone at addition levels compatible with aquaculture practices.*

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-76058-392-7
Authors: Wayne O’Connor Gavin Partridge Stewart Fielder Lindsey Woolley Thava Palanisami
Final Report • 2020-06-01 • 1.29 MB
2018-125-DLD.pdf

Summary

Per- and poly-fluoroalkly substances (PFASs) are now emerging as pollutants with potentially catastrophic impact on aquaculture facilities. Two key research institutes, Port Stephens Fisheries Institute (PSFI) in NSW and Australian Centre for Applied Aquaculture Research (ACAAR) in Western Australia have discovered the presence of PFASs in their influent seawater sources and in their broodstock fish. PFASs are proven Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals of fish and can cause reduction in fecundity, and deformity, abnormal development and increased mortality of fish larvae. Both research institutes have observed impacts on larvae that are broadly consistent with those observed for PFASs in literature studies. As testing for PFASs continues we expect that the number of facilities affected in Australia, and indeed globally, may increase. Further, to assess impacts, PFASs must be introduced into experimental systems in a controlled fashion and therefore we must have the capacity to remove those pollutants before release of effluent water. To protect our facilities and permit PFASs impacts research there was a need to assess available treatment technologies for removal of PFASs in seawater.

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