Geosyntec staff will make a substantial technical contribution to the CleanUp 2017 Conference at the Crown Conference Center in Melbourne, Australia on September 10-14, 2017.

CleanUp 2017 is 7th International Contaminated Site Remediation Conference incorporating the 1st International PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) Conference.

Geosyntec professionals have been invited to deliver a keynote, lead a workshop, chair a technical session, and deliver five presentations. The team from Geosyntec includes Rula Deeb (California), Paul Nicholson, Sarah Schiess (Australia), and Julie Konzuk (Toronto).

CRC CARE is an independent organization that performs research, develops technologies and provides policy guidance for assessing, cleaning up and preventing contamination of soil, water and air. CRC CARE's 'CleanUp' series comprises the leading international conferences on contaminated site remediation. PFAS are contaminants of emerging concern. Some PFAS have received prominent recent news coverage, particularly perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). These chemicals, found in some aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) used to fight fires, have gained recent global attention as contamination has been detected in areas in and around numerous fire-training facilities worldwide. However, PFAS encompass many more chemicals than just those found in AFFFs.

CRC CARE leads international CleanUp Conferences that provide global forum to discuss all aspects of contaminated site assessment, management and remediation. The Organizing Committee prepares scientific and educational programs for a number of conferences. Conference programs blend research and industry best practices, drawing on experience from Australian and international markets.

Rula Deeb was invited to deliver a keynote and will lead the 1-day PFAS Workshop Sunday Sept 10.

Rula is a Senior Principal Civil and Environmental Engineer based in California with more than 25 years of experience focused on private practice and academia addressing the cross-media fate and transport of contaminants, and the remediation of complex soil and groundwater sites impacted by non-aqueous phase liquids.

Focusing on emerging contaminants in natural and treatment environments, Rula has led many research and demonstration efforts. Her work during the past two decades has promoted awareness and improved the understanding of the sources, occurrence, fate and transport, and behavior of several of the most challenging environmental contaminants to date, including perfluorinated compounds, 1,4-dioxane, methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) and other fuel oxygenates, perchlorate, N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs).

Geosyntec Participation

Presenter: Rula Deeb
Title: Workshop 5: Assessment, Management and Remediation of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Contaminated Sites
Location: Conference Hall 3
Date: September 10, 2017
Time: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Workshop Overview:

This one-day workshop will provide Australian and US perspectives on the characterization, assessment and management of PFAS at contaminated sites.

Sources of PFAS in the environment and their sampling and characterization will be covered, as will environmental fate and transport and human exposure pathways. PFAS precursors will also be addressed, as will the regulatory landscape in the United States.

From the Australian perspective, there will be presentations on the CRC CARE draft guidance for PFAS, and on the range of PFAS compounds and their properties, and the development of CSMs for PFAS contaminated properties. In addition, presentations on how to undertake site investigations and health risk assessment, as well as ecological risk assessments will be given. Practical approaches for achieving site closure will also be explored.

The workshop will be useful for practitioners and regulators alike.

Presenter: Rula Deeb
Title: PFAS Research and Development Opportunities: A United States Perspective
Session: 1A.1 International approaches to managing PFAS
Location: Conference Hall 1
Date: September 11, 2017
Time: 10:30 am - 12:10 pm

Presenter: Paul Nicholson
Title: Increasing Certainty in Vapor Intrusion Assessments
Session: 1C.2 Advances in vapor intrusion and volatiles assessment, management and remediation
Location: Conference Hall 3
Date: September 11, 2017
Time: 11:10 am - 11:30 am

Presenter: Sarah Schiess
Title: Low PH Impacts on Enhanced In Situ Bioremediation
Session: 1H.3 Advances in in-situ remediation
Location: Meeting Room 16
Date: September 11, 2017
Time: 11:30 pm - 11:50 pm

Session Chair: Rula Deeb
Session: 2B - Advances in PFAS remediation technologies
Location: Conference Hall 2
Date: September 11, 2017
Time: 1:10 am - 2:50 pm

Presenter: Julie Konzuk
Title: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance: A New Forensic/Diagnostic Tool In Our Toolbox?
Session: 5E.4 Advances in site characterization
Location: Meeting Room 12
Date: September 11, 2017
Time: 2:30 pm - 2:50 pm

Presenter: Julie Konzuk
Title: Identification of Natural Attenuation Mechanisms and Rates Using Advanced Tools
Session: 3H.2 Advances in monitoring natural attenuation
Location: Meeting Room 16
Date: September 11, 2017
Time: 4:00 pm - 4:20 pm

More Information

Learn more at: http://www.cleanupconference.com/
For information about contaminated sites or consultation regarding the remediation of per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances, contact Rula Deeb at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Learn more about Geosyntec's practice in Australia at http://www.geosyntec.com.au
Learn more about Rula at: https://www.geosyntec.com/people/rula-deeb