Strategic Evaluation of PFAS Disposal Technologies: Unlocking Long-Term Containment and Risk Reduction Through Deep Well Injection

Abstract The disposal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) continues to challenge both industry and regulators due to the compounds’ exceptional persistence and mobility. This study presents a comparative evaluation of three prevailing disposal routes, deep well injection, engineered landfilling, and high-temperature thermal destruction, through the lens of long-term containment performance, environmental risk, and life-cycle cost efficiency. The analysis is intended to inform strategic waste management decisions in anticipation of increasingly stringent regulatory mandates. The assessment integrates empirical performance data with life-cycle modeling to evaluate each technology's resilience under operational and environmental stressors. Criteria include contaminant isolation efficacy, ease of compliance monitoring, energy and resource demands, and potential downstream liabilities. While landfilling is susceptible to leachate breakthrough and thermal destruction, which entails high operational complexity, deep well injection, when executed in properly characterized and engineered geologic settings, offers passive containment with limited surface exposure and lower long-term oversight burdens. Results show that deep well injection, supported by rigorous geologic screening and real-time monitoring systems, achieves high containment reliability with comparatively low lifecycle costs. The method's ability to sequester PFAS below potable aquifers reduces exposure pathways and future remediation risks. Furthermore, its low surface footprint and operational simplicity, relative to combustion-based solutions, contribute to its appeal as a scalable long-term strategy. By framing PFAS disposal through a systems-level perspective, this work positions deep well injection as a viable cornerstone in sustainable hazardous waste management. It offers a practical decision-making framework that aligns environmental safeguards with economic prudence, helping stakeholders navigate technical feasibility, regulatory compliance, and long-term stewardship responsibilities in a complex policy landscape.