The city of Attleboro, Massachusetts, has selected magnetic ion exchange technology for its new Wading River Water Treatment Plant (WTP), where the system will remove dissolved organic carbon (DOC) before PFAS treatment as part of a new 2 million gallon per day drinking water treatment process.
The technology, supplied by IXOM Watercare, is intended to address a challenge that can affect the performance of downstream PFAS treatment. DOC can compete with PFAS for adsorption sites, reducing the capacity of treatment media. Removing the organic material earlier in the treatment train is therefore intended to improve the efficiency of subsequent PFAS treatment while also reducing compounds that contribute to disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation.
“Based on pilot study results, IXOM Watercare’s MIEX system has proven to be effective at removing the organic contaminants that are not only precursors that cause high levels of DBP formation in the finished water, but also interfere or reduce the capacity of the PFAS removal solutions,” said Ryan Neyland, vice-president at engineering firm Tata & Howard.
The treatment train will combine magnetic ion exchange with GreensandPlus pressure filtration and an organo-clay PFAS removal media. The approach reflects the need for utilities to address multiple water quality challenges within an integrated treatment process, rather than treating PFAS removal as a standalone step.
The magnetic ion exchange system uses a fluidised bed process and regenerable resin to continuously remove DOC from the water stream. Automated resin regeneration is designed to maintain removal performance while limiting operator intervention.
Attleboro, a city in Bristol County in the US state of Massachusetts, is developing the new plant as requirements around PFAS and other drinking water contaminants become more stringent. Massachusetts established a state-enforceable maximum contaminant level for six PFAS compounds in drinking water in 2020, while federal requirements are set to introduce additional reporting obligations from 2027 and enforcement of federal PFAS regulations from 2031.
The Wading River WTP is currently in the early stages of construction, with the magnetic ion exchange system expected to be operational by summer 2028.
For Attleboro, the project illustrates how treatment sequencing can influence the performance of PFAS removal. By controlling organic material upstream, the city aims to reduce DBP precursors while preserving the capacity of downstream treatment processes.