{"id":19647,"date":"2024-03-31T00:52:14","date_gmt":"2024-03-31T00:52:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theoaktree.us\/?p=19647"},"modified":"2024-03-31T01:58:57","modified_gmt":"2024-03-31T01:58:57","slug":"devil-in-disguise-or-just-a-devil-that-is-the-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theoaktree.us\/?p=19647","title":{"rendered":"Devil in Disguise or just a Devil, that is the question"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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PART I: THE PFAS PROBLEM<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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In 2020, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection tested their farm and found elevated levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly called PFAS, PFOS, or forever chemicals and found them in shockingly high numbers.<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Maine had been spreading what is called<\/span> sludge on its farmland<\/span><\/a> and fields <\/span>since the 1980s<\/span><\/a>. The fittingly named sludge is a combination of wastewater and sewage, and its application on farms has been seen as a way to keep waste out of waterways and feed fields.<\/span><\/p>

For years, the application of sludge in Maine was regarded as safe, as it was in several other states; a <\/span>1994 booklet from the EPA<\/span><\/a> claimed that the \u201cbeneficial application of biosolids to provide crop nutrients or to condition the soil is not only safe but good public policy.\u201d The state later discovered, however, that the sludge contained harmful PFAS.<\/span><\/p>

The sources of contamination were numerous. Once the <\/span>Clean Water Act<\/span><\/a> passed in 1972, many chemicals and toxins that <\/span>flowed freely from paper mills<\/span><\/a> into Maine\u2019s rivers started to be <\/span>processed through sewage plants<\/span><\/a>. Additionally, <\/span>forever chemicals<\/span><\/a> that appeared in cleaning chemicals, makeup, and nonstick pans made their way down household drains and ended up in local sewage plants.<\/span><\/p>

By the spring of 2022, <\/span>more than 50 farms<\/span><\/a> in Tier 1 areas learned they had high levels of forever chemicals in their products, their fields, and their water. Some farms were able to stop production temporarily while they identified possible solutions. However, <\/span>several farmers<\/span><\/a>, including Nordell and Davis, were forced to close up shop permanently. Farmers were hurting, consumers were worried, and Maine\u2019s food system looked to be in crisis.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cFrom an agriculture perspective, we want the soil to come out the other side usable and healthy. But in the meantime, we have adopted the truism that PFAs do not have to mean the end of a farm, and there may be alternative options.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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1. Supporting Farmers and Conducting Research<\/b><\/p>

Financial support from the PFAS Emergency Relief Fund assists with direct monetary assistance and covers the cost of biosolids testing, and health coverage for affected farmers, and has also been used to invest in infrastructure for PFAS relief and remediation.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cWe provide a continuum of support,\u201d <\/span><\/i>McBrady says DACF\u2019s<\/span><\/i><\/a> Brady of the collective effort. \u201cFirst and foremost, we are on the ground doing scientific analysis of the source of the PFAS with comprehensive testing that we pay for. This gives a blueprint of the situation and provides an opportunity to consider mitigation strategies such as changing the rotation of livestock, cleaning up the water, or trying a different crop.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>

\u201cThere isn\u2019t that much great land for farming in Maine,\u201d says <\/span>Amy Fisher<\/span><\/a>, President & CEO of the Maine Farmland Trust, referring to the state\u2019s famously rocky soil. <\/span>\u201cSo we cannot lose any of it to contamination.<\/span><\/i>\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cThere are a lot of theories being tested,\u201d says Maine <\/span>DACF\u2019s PFAS director Meagan Hennessey<\/span><\/a>. \u201cWe are eagerly awaiting research breakthroughs that we can start implementing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Methods of Remediation<\/b><\/p>

Besides using biomass with Oaktree\u2019s technology, scientists are also looking at different energy grass types to speed up the cleaning process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Some examples are Canola, Sunflower and Hemp (all containing Omega 3 & 6):<\/b> Field studies have shown some promise for using canola, sunflower, and hemp to remediate PFAS-contaminated soil.<\/span><\/p>

What makes these plants particularly interesting is that they contain monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats (like <\/span>omega-3<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>omega-6<\/span><\/a>) and can be used as both primary – and cover crops.<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Opportunity to capitalize on the existing vegetable oil market.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>