Key Takeaways Pilot testing informs critical per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) treatment decisions, and the reliability of pilot results depends on proper pilot design and operation, especially flow control. Manual flow balancing is commonly used for PFAS pilot tests, but it can be difficult to achieve consistent flow across all columns. Automating flow control reduces operator burden and enables high‐frequency data logging and remote access—but there is a tradeoff, with higher initial costs. The constant effluent pressure flow control method can achieve steady flow in packed‐bed columns without automation and at relatively low cost.
Gorzalski et al. (Fri,) studied this question.