AFFF Take Back Program
Assisting fire departments in removing AFFF from current stockpiles and ensuring they are properly disposed of.
Class B firefighting foam concentrates (commonly referred to as aqueous film-forming foam or “AFFF”) are specialized products intended for use in fighting flammable liquid fires and contain long chain PFAS. In 2019, the New Hampshire Legislature directed NHDES under SB257 to implement an AFFF Take Back Program to inventory, consolidate and dispose of municipal stocks of legacy AFFF. NHDES conducted an AFFF Self-inventory initiative to catalog known stores of legacy AFFF at municipal fire departments in June 2022.
The AFFF Take Back Program, scheduled to kick off in August 2024, will remove and properly dispose of approximately 10,000 gallons of AFFF in conjunction with Revive Environmental (Revive) using super critical water oxidation (SCWO) technology. SCWO is a chemical process that uses increased temperature and pressure in the presence of an oxidant to break down “forever chemicals” like PFAS and other organics. See more information regarding Revive’s PFAS Annihilator® destruction technology.
AFFF Take Back Events
- August 6 - Hillsborough County: Nashua Fire Rescue, Nashua
- August 8 - Rockingham County: Newton Fire Department, Newton
- August 13 - Merrimack County: NH Fire Academy, Concord
- August 15 - Sullivan County: Central Fire Station, Claremont
- August 19 - Strafford County: Dover Public Works, Dover
- August 21 - Carroll County: Bartlett/Glen Fire Department, Glen
- August 23 - Cheshire County: Keene Fire Department Station 2, Keene
- August 26 - Belknap County: Laconia Fire Department, Laconia
- August 28 - Coos County: Gorham Fire Department, Gorham
- August 30 - Grafton County: Littleton Fire Department, Littleton
Can we include Class A foam for take back?
Class A, Training, High-Expansion, and Fluorine-Free (aka, SFFF or F3) are generally understood to not contain PFAS and thus will not be accepted for this program. Any other materials or non-AFFF foams will not be accepted. Rinsate, rinse aids, event water, or other liquids used in the cleanout or use of AFFF apparatuses will not be accepted.
Please make sure all AFFF containers have original manufacturer labels. If they do not have manufacturer labels, please do as much research as possible to find out what brand or type of AFFF it is. This may mean looking up old purchase orders, receipts or looking at Safety Data Sheets (SDS). Please bring copies of any documentation concerning your AFFF with you on the drop off day.
All containers must be in good condition and not leaking during transport.
Can we include rinsate from our trucks/equipment?
Class A, Training, High-Expansion, and Fluorine-Free (aka, SFFF or F3) are generally understood to not contain PFAS and thus will not be accepted for this program. Any other materials or non-AFFF foams will not be accepted. Rinsate, rinse aids, event water, or other liquids used in the cleanout or use of AFFF apparatuses will not be accepted.
Please make sure all AFFF containers have original manufacturer labels. If they do not have manufacturer labels, please do as much research as possible to find out what brand or type of AFFF it is. This may mean looking up old purchase orders, receipts or looking at Safety Data Sheets (SDS). Please bring copies of any documentation concerning your AFFF with you on the drop off day.
All containers must be in good condition and not leaking during transport.
Can I bring my AFFF containers to a different county drop-off location?
Drop-off locations are county specific as indicated through your registration on the online system. This information will be used by the transportation company for planning purposes based on anticipated volumes of AFFF. If your fire department encounters an emergency on your designated drop-off date that prohibits you to make it to the location during the designated time, please contact NHDES to discuss alternate arrangements.
I missed the email from the State Fire Marshal to register and enter my containers into the online system. Will I still be able to bring my containers to the drop-off event?
Yes, you will still have the opportunity to drop off AFFF at the event scheduled for your county.
How long will it take to complete the drop-off?
It is anticipated that the collection process will take 30 minutes. Please factor in extra time in case there is a large volume of departments showing up at the same time, paperwork needs to be completed on the day of drop-off, or other unforeseen delays.
Can I drive my fire truck to the drop-off event and have the contractor drain my truck on site?
The contract transporter will not be equipped to remove foam from trucks. Please drain the fire truck tank into labeled, DOT-rated containers ahead of time and enter the containers into the online system for your department.
Will there be a forklift/drum dollies on site to handle my large totes and 55-gallon drums?
The contract transporter will be equipped to handle various size containers.
Do we need to bring anything in addition to our AFFF to the drop-off?
Please bring any documentation you may have identifying the product being dropped off especially where manufacturer labels may be missing. This may include old purchase orders, receipts or looking at Safety Data Sheets (SDS).
The contractor will be responsible for providing all necessary shipping manifests.
What is SCWO?
Supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) is a chemical process that uses increased temperature and pressure in the presence of an oxidant to break down “forever chemicals” like PFAS and other organics. The SCWO process leverages the unique properties of supercritical water to break down PFAS chemicals. A supercritical fluid is a substance held at a temperature and pressure above its critical point. In this state, the fluid is neither a liquid nor a gas and has properties of both.
Substances begin to act differently above the critical point. Polar substances (e.g., salts) become immiscible, and nonpolar substances (such as petroleum products) become completely miscible. Supercritical water is highly expandable and compressible. Without distinct liquid and gas phases, mass transfer is unrestricted, facilitating chemical reactions.
The properties of supercritical water are leveraged by PFAS Annihilator® to break down PFAS and other recalcitrant chemical compounds. Supercritical oxidation can rapidly break down compounds that do not oxidize readily at standard temperatures and pressures, destroying chemicals that would otherwise persist for decades or centuries in the environment.
More information regarding Revive’s PFAS Annihilator® destruction technology.