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Wastewater & Solid Waste

Wastewater & Solid Waste Testing

Household and industrial operations generate tons of waste and we have built an amazing infrastructure to ensure that this waste does not comprise a major hazard to human and ecosystem health. Environmental monitoring for regulated and emerging contaminants is a critical component to waste management.

From routine parameters like biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) to emerging contaminants like microplastics, we cannot manage what we cannot measure and we at SGS work hard to provide timely data to address your waste management challenge.

When it comes to PFAS, ultratrace persistent organic pollutants, emerging contaminants and specialty support, our highly technical team is unparalleled in knowledge, capacity, customization and reach. We can support high-capacity waste testing, tissue measurement, passive sampling and most general and special needs in one network.

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Regulation

  • In the US, household, industrial and manufacturing solid and hazardous waste is managed under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). This program operates both at the federal and state levels with many states authorized to operate their own RCRA programs
  • The US Clean Water Act regulates the discharge of pollutants into US water including stormwater and sewer overflows and manages the permitting of discharges under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). The clean water act also regulates mining operations
  • The clean air act regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources
  • In addition, multiple states have their own waste discharge requirements
  • In Canada, a combination of federal, provincial and municipal laws govern the management of waste, with laws such as the federal Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), the BC government Environmental Management Act and other provincial government legislation providing the framework

Why SGS for Wastewater Testing?

  • Scope: We support the analyses of 1000+ contaminants/parameters in 30+ different environmental accreditation frameworks and jurisdictions covering water, soils/sediments and waste
  • Expertise: From PFAS, ultratrace persistent organic pollutants, emerging contaminants and specialty support, our technical team offers unparalleled knowledge and can support high-capacity waste testing, tissue measurement, passive sampling and most general and special needs in one network. Our leading industrial hygiene services provide monitoring data on worker exposure
  • Support: Including supplies, sample pickup, and rush turnarounds from 24 hours

Case Studies

PFAS in Waste

Our expertise in the measurement of PFAS in municipal wastewater treatment plants has been featured in several publications. In this study in California, we supported the measurement of PFAS using target analysis, adsorbable organic fluorine (AOF) and the total oxidizable precursor (TOP) assay for the Bay Area Clean Water Agencies. Our ability to handle complex biosolids and provide high quality TOP data was showcased in this study which found large increases in measured PFAS post-TOP showing the utility of this approach for waste monitoring

Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) in wastewater and biosolids

Building on our expertise in emerging contaminants and the authorship of EPA 1694 for the measurement of PPCPs, we supported the Canadian government in their national assessment of wastewater treatment plants for the occurrence of PPCPs. These samples are complex and very hard to measure for the long list of PPCPs we support. Our work showed that the type of treatment had significant effects on the removal of PPCPs from the waste stream with biological treatment resulting in higher removal compared with primary physical/chemical treatment

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