Project ReCarbon Converts PFAS-Contaminated Workwear into Biochar Using Pyrolysis

Overview

Project ReCarbon, an Australian industry collaboration, is piloting a continuous pyrolysis process to destroy PFAS in high-visibility workwear and convert the material into beneficial biochar. Led by Vital Chemical, Earth Systems, and Georgiou Group with Australia-wide partners, the project addresses a growing compliance liability: the disposal of PFAS-treated personal protective equipment (PPE) that would otherwise be landfilled. By operating at temperatures sufficient to break carbon-fluorine bonds in a low-oxygen environment, the pyrolysis process destroys PFAS while producing a soil amendment product that supports site rehabilitation.

Key details

High-visibility workwear used on construction, mining, and infrastructure sites is commonly treated with water-resistant fluorinated coatings to meet durability and safety requirements. These coatings contain PFAS compounds that make the textiles resistant to water, oil, and staining. When this workwear reaches end of life, the PFAS content creates a disposal challenge. Standard textile recycling processes cannot handle fluorinated materials, and landfilling allows PFAS to leach into the surrounding environment over time.

The pyrolysis process used in Project ReCarbon operates by heating the textile waste in a low-oxygen environment. This thermal decomposition approach differs from conventional incineration in several important ways. The absence of oxygen prevents the formation of hazardous combustion byproducts, including dioxins and furans, that can be generated when fluorinated materials are burned in open-air or poorly controlled incineration systems. The temperatures achieved are sufficient to break the carbon-fluorine bonds in PFAS molecules, achieving destruction rather than merely transferring the contamination to another medium.

The resulting biochar is a stable, carbon-rich material that can improve moisture retention, nutrient stability, and soil structure when applied to degraded or rehabilitated land. This creates a circular economy pathway: waste PPE from construction and infrastructure projects is converted into a product that supports the rehabilitation of project sites, mine closures, and contaminated land remediation works.

Australian context

The PFAS National Environmental Management Plan (PFAS NEMP 3.0) establishes a clear waste hierarchy for PFAS-containing materials, prioritising destruction and irreversible transformation over landfilling or long-term storage. Project ReCarbon directly aligns with this hierarchy by providing an onshore destruction capability for a waste stream that has historically had no compliant disposal pathway other than landfill.

Australian infrastructure is experiencing a sustained construction boom, driven by major transport, energy, and defence projects across all states. Each of these projects generates substantial volumes of used PPE, including high-visibility clothing, that must be managed at end of life. Major contractors including those working on projects such as Inland Rail, WestConnex, Cross River Rail, and the Submarine program in South Australia are generating significant volumes of PFAS-treated workwear waste.

State regulators are increasingly scrutinising the disposal of PFAS-containing waste. The NSW EPA’s waste classification guidelines, Queensland’s End of Waste framework, and Victoria’s Priority Waste categories all impose requirements on how PFAS-contaminated materials must be characterised and disposed of. A proven onshore pyrolysis pathway would give waste generators a compliant alternative to interstate or overseas disposal, which is becoming more restricted as receiving jurisdictions tighten their own PFAS acceptance criteria.

Practical implications

Environmental consultants and waste management advisers should consider the following:

• Waste management plans for major infrastructure and construction projects should assess whether PPE waste streams contain PFAS-treated materials and identify compliant disposal or destruction pathways.
• Civil contractors managing large volumes of used workwear should engage with Project ReCarbon or similar emerging services to evaluate whether pyrolysis destruction is commercially available for their waste streams.
• Site rehabilitation plans that require soil amendment may benefit from specifying biochar derived from PFAS destruction processes, supporting both waste reduction and land rehabilitation objectives.
• Consultants preparing waste classification reports should test PPE and textile waste for PFAS content to ensure correct classification under state guidelines and avoid inadvertent non-compliance through disposal to general landfill.
• The development of onshore PFAS destruction capacity reduces reliance on export pathways and aligns with the objectives of the Basel Convention and Australia’s Hazardous Waste Act regarding the transboundary movement of hazardous waste.

References and related sources

• Seamless Australia: Project ReCarbon pilot program (primary source)
• Australian Government PFAS National Environmental Management Plan (NEMP 3.0)
• iEnvi LinkedIn discussion on this topic

How iEnvi can help

iEnvi assists construction, mining, and infrastructure clients with PFAS waste management, site contamination assessment, and remediation planning. We can help you develop compliant waste management plans that address PFAS-containing materials, including PPE and textile waste streams.

Our relevant services include contaminated land assessment for sites receiving PFAS-containing waste, remediation and site rehabilitation planning, and ecology services for projects where biochar application supports revegetation and habitat restoration.

This is an iEnvi Machete news summary. Prepared by iEnvi to summarise the source article for contaminated land, groundwater, remediation, approvals and site risk professionals.

Need advice on this topic? Speak to an iEnvi expert at hello@ienvi.com.au or 1300 043 684, or contact us online.