Summary

PFAS are a ubiquitous and diverse class of toxic, persistent, synthetic fluorochemicals that easily travel in the environment and have been detected in water resources and water systems globally, earning the moniker "forever chemicals." Widespread PFAS contamination results from the production and use of fluorinated chemicals in consumer and industrial products for many decades, spanning uses including non-stick coated cookware, firefighting foams, cosmetics, electronic components manufacturing, and many others. While the far-reaching impacts of PFAS exposure are still under investigation, noted adverse health effects include cancer, thyroid disease, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and preeclampsia, among others. The annual cost burden of these health effects is estimated at $62.6B for the U.S. and €52-84B ($37-59B) in Europe, though even these figures are likely underestimates.

Despite the severity of this problem, no process in standard wastewater treatment facilities adequately addresses PFAS contamination, enabling the release of PFAS-containing discharge into surface waters that are used as drinking water sources. Activated carbon (AC) and ion exchange (IX) resins suffer from low capacity and/or selectivity, especially against short-chain PFAS; reverse osmosis (RO) suffers from high energy demands and costs despite only a moderate (5-10x) PFAS concentration factor. Furthermore, today's PFAS removal sorbents are poorly regenerable, often destined for incineration or landfill disposal once their PFAS removal capacity is exhausted; sorbents compatible with thermal reactivation (AC) have relatively low capacity and/or incur high costs and energy-intensive processes.

Addressing these gaps, the research team has developed a patent-protected class of granular sorbents that selectively remove PFAS from complex waters. By leveraging synergistic ionic and fluorous interactions in a single resin, the technology specifically targets PFAS removal over background contaminants. In this Phase I project, the research team seeks to accomplish the following Specific Aims: 1) Enhancing IF sorbent regenerability while minimizing the volume of PFAS-laden waste; 2) Investigating compatibility to treat a range of commercially relevant, PFAS-laden influents; and 3) Developing a suspension process for manufacturing sorbent beads.

Successful accomplishment of these aims advances the technology toward a marketable solution for PFAS removal and sets the team up for success in Phase II, during which the technology will be scaled up and further tested for selective removal of a broad selection of PFAS compounds. Completion of this project will allow the research team to deliver an easily implementable treatment solution that can be appropriately scaled for use across applications, including industrial treatment, site remediation, municipal drinking water treatment, and down to at-home point-of-entry and point-of-use installations.