Chemical Applications Interest Group Meeting: Discussion on PFAS with EPA & EMPA

The AATCC Chemical Applications Interest Group is hosting a discussion on per- and poly fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on March 30. Speakers will include US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environmental Engineer Doruntinë Rexhepi and EMPA’s Zhanyun Wang.

Topics:

For the March meeting, Rexhepi will discuss EPA’s Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELG) Program:

• What are the requirements?
• What is the review process?
• Process for studies and rulemakings

She will also share preliminary findings of a multi-industry PFAS study as they relate to the textile industry and explain plans for continued study of the industry.

On February 7, the European Chemicals Agency released a far-reaching proposal to ban all uses of PFAS under the EU REACH regulation unless a specific derogation has been granted for that use. Over the coming year or two, the proposed restriction will go through the EU final regulatory decision process.

Wang’s presentation will provide a brief overview of the restriction proposal on PFASs, including an initial set of derogations that have been proposed. It will also highlight some challenges and opportunities associated with the REACH restriction, including some reflection on state-of-the-art replacement developments.

The virtual meeting will be a prelude to AATCC’s full-scale in-person conference on Navigating a Path Forward for PFAS in Textiles this July 11-12. Make sure you put it on your calendar!

Learn more about the meeting speakers below!

Doruntinë Rexhepi is an Environmental Engineer with the US Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C., USA, where she works on technology-based industrial wastewater regulations known as effluent guidelines and pretreatment standards. She is the lead for effluent guidelines planning process in which EPA screens discharge and wastewater treatment technology data to prioritize industrial categories for further review. She has experience working across different industries to collect information and data on the use, discharge, and treatment of PFAS in wastewater. Rexhepi holds a master’s degree in environmental science and a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from the City University of New York.

As an environmental chemist by training, Zhanyun Wang‘s research interests focus primarily on understanding the life cycles and risks of various anthropogenic chemicals in the technosphere and natural environment. He is also very interested in exploring novel and pragmatic approaches to advancing sound chemicals management, enabling a sustainable circular economy, and strengthening the science–policy interface on chemicals and waste.