Table 1.
Description of funded projects related to ex situ treatment of per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS)‐impacted aqueous media
| Project title | Primary objectives | Principal investigator (organization) | Treatment focus area | Start year | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrically assisted sorption and desorption of PFAS | Application of a scalable capacitive deionization to electrically enhance adsorption of key PFAS onto activated carbon and discharge them as a chemical‐free regeneration using a fraction of the energy of pressure‐driven membrane processes |
D. Call, (North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA) |
Sorption | 2018 |
Proof‐of‐concept (POC) in progress |
| An electrocoagulation and electro‐oxidation treatment train to degrade PFAS and other persistent organic contaminants in groundwater | Application of a novel treatment train combining electrocoagulation with electrochemical oxidation to remove and degrade PFAAs and comingled organics from groundwater |
D. Chiang (CDM Smith, New York, NY, USA) |
Electrochemical | 2018 | In progress |
| Combined in situ/ex situ treatment train for remediation of PFAS‐Impacted Groundwater | Evaluation of a range of combined situ/ex situ treatment trains for treatment of PFAS‐impacted groundwater and compare the scaled‐up cost and design challenges for implementation |
M. Crimi (Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, USA) |
Abiotic oxidation/plasma/ion exchange | 2018 | In progress |
| Removal of complex mixtures of PFAAs from water using molecularly engineered coatings on sand and silica | Evaluation of reversible mesoporous organosilica sorbents for the treatment of a wide range of anionic, cationic, and nonionic forms of PFAS, while allowing for economical on‐site regeneration by solvent rinse | E. Edmiston (College of Wooster, Wooster, OH, USA) | Sorption | 2018 |
POC in progress |
| Ex situ treatment of PFAS‐impacted groundwater using ion exchange with regeneration | Evaluate one or more treatment trains for PFAS‐Impacted groundwater using novel ion exchange resins coupled with electrochemical and/or ultrasonic destruction of PFAS in regeneration solution waste streams |
M. Fuller (Aptim, Baton Rouge, LA, USA) |
Ion exchange | 2018 | In progress |
| Removal and destruction of PFAS and co‐occurring chemicals from groundwater via extraction and treatment with ion exchange media, and on‐site regeneration, distillation, and plasma destruction | Demonstrate a PFAS treatment train comprising ion exchange media, distillation and reuse of the regenerant solution, and on‐site destruction of the distillation waste with low‐energy plasma into existing co‐occurring chemical treatment systems | N. Hagelin (Wood, Portland, ME, USA) | Ion exchange | 2018 | In progress |
| Rational design and implementation of novel polymer adsorbents for selective uptake of PFAS from groundwater | Design, characterize, and evaluate novel regenerable mesoporous polymers of cyclodextrin adsorbents for in situ or ex situ remediation of PFAS‐impacted groundwater | D. Helbling (Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA) | Sorption | 2018 | In progress |
| Electrochemical oxidation (EO) of PFAAs in still bottoms from regeneration of ion exchange resins | Investigate how the major constituents in the ion exchange resin still bottoms (chloride and organic contents) may impact the EO treatment efficiency and the final water quality | Q. Huang [A] (University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA) | Electrochemical | 2018 | POC follow‐on effort in progress |
| Treatment of legacy and emerging fluoroalkyl chemicals in groundwater with integrated approaches: Rapid and regenerable adsorption and UV‐induced defluorination | Develop an effective ex situ treatment train comprising oxidative pre and post treatment PFAS adsorption, and sorbent regeneration using reductive defluorination for rapid removal and complete destruction of PFAS and comingled organics (PHCs and CVOCs) in groundwater | J. Liu [A] (University of California, Riverside, CA, USA) | Sorption/UV | 2018 | In progress |
| Molecular design of effective and versatile adsorbents for ex situ treatment of AFFF‐impacted groundwater | Evaluate the propensity of PFAS to bind with proteins using a combination of molecular modeling and batch testing to verify whether PFAS–protein interactions could be tuned to efficiently adsorb a variety of PFAS | M. Michalsen (US Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, MS, USA) | Sorption | 2018 |
POC follow‐on effort in progress |
| Evaluation and life cycle comparison of ex situ treatment technologies for PFAS in groundwater | Perform lifecycle cost assessment for established and emerging PFAS treatment approaches including GAC, ion exchange, GAC followed by ion exchange, and nanofiltration or reverse osmosis as well as assess technology readiness level for current and ongoing research on destructive treatment of residuals |
K. Ozekin (Water Research Foundation, Denver, CO, USA) |
Ion exchange/sorption/nanofiltration | 2018 | In progress |
| Improved longevity and selectivity of PFAS groundwater treatment using SPAC and ceramic membrane filter system | Demonstrate the long‐term effectiveness of SPAC‐CMF for the removal of a broad‐range of PFAS from groundwater at an impacted DoD site, and gather the necessary data to perform a detailed cost analysis | J. Quinnan [A] (Arcadis, Brighton, MI, USA) | Sorption | 2019 | In progress |
| Remediation of PFAS‐impacted groundwater using cationic hydrophobic polymers as ultra‐high‐affinity sorbents | Evaluate ultra‐high‐affinity cationic polyaniline and polypyrrole polymer‐based sorbents exploiting multiple bonding modes (e.g., electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions) for treatment of PFAS‐impacted groundwater | R. Sierra‐Alvarez (University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA) | Sorption | 2018 | In progress |
| Regenerable resin sorbent technologies with regenerant solution recycling for sustainable treatment of PFAS | Develop a regenerable resin sorbent technology comprising commercially available ion exchange and nonionic resins for effective treatment of full diversity of PFAS present in groundwater impacted by AFFF as well as other cocontaminants | T. Strathmann (Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA) | Sorption | 2018 | In progress |
PFAS = per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substance; PFAA = perfluoroalkyl acid; UV = ultraviolet; AFFF = aqueous foam‐forming film; PHC = petroleum hydrocarbon; CVOC = chlorinated volatile organic compound; GAC = granular activated carbon; SPAC–CMF = submicron powdered activated carbon–ceramic microfiltration; DoD = US Department of Defense.