SBIR Phase II: Optimized Hydrothermal Reactor for Scalable and Affordable Destruction of Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS)

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是加速销毁有毒全氟烷基和多氟烷基（PFAS）的新技术，也被称为“永久化学品”。PFAS化学品广泛用于消防泡沫和消费品。然而，它们是令人难以置信的难降解环境污染物，对人类有剧毒，并且很难被破坏。在机场、军事基地和生产基地附近的土壤、地下水和饮用水的广泛污染正在推动全球努力清除和销毁PFAS毒素。全氟辛烷磺酸通过焚烧分解效果很差，而且没有自然半衰期。环境修复行业需要有效的技术来现场销毁PFAS。SBIR第二阶段项目正在开发的技术是节能的，可扩展的，与现有技术配对，可以大规模部署，用于销毁富含PFAS的废物。SBIR第二阶段项目旨在减少在开发和扩大用于销毁PFAS的水热碱处理工艺过程中与系统腐蚀和化学品消耗有关的技术风险。水热处理在历史上一直受到腐蚀和低部件寿命的挑战的困扰，和/或需要使用昂贵的合金、可更换的系统部件和/或优雅的化学防腐蚀策略。这就是说，热液工艺是销毁有害废物的最有效和最高效的技术，如PFAS。该项目将侧重于测量和减轻材料腐蚀的挑战，以便更广泛地采用水热工艺进行废物处理。此外，HALT加工需要使用碱性化学品作为加工添加剂。在这个项目中，通过采用化学品回收策略，化学品的使用可能会大幅减少，提高整体单位的经济性，减少HALT处理的环境足迹。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is the acceleration of a new technology for the destruction of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS), otherwise known as “forever chemicals”. PFAS chemicals are widely used in firefighting foams and consumer goods. However, they are incredibly recalcitrant environmental pollutants, highly toxic to humans, and very hard to destroy. Widespread contamination of soil, groundwater, and drinking water at sites near airports, military bases, and manufacturing sites is driving a global effort to remove and destroy PFAS toxins. PFAS are poorly broken down by incineration and they do not have a natural half-life. The environmental remediation industry needs effective technology for on-site, end-of-life destruction of PFAS. The technology being developed in this SBIR Phase II project is energy efficient, scalable, pairs with existing technologies, and can be deployed at-scale for the destruction of PFAS-rich wastes. This SBIR Phase II project seeks to reduce technical risks related to system corrosion and chemical consumption in the development and scale-up of the hydrothermal alkaline treatment (HALT) process for the destruction of PFAS. Hydrothermal processing has historically been plagued by challenges with corrosion and low component lifetimes, and/or has requiring the use of expensive alloys, replaceable system components, and/or elegant chemical corrosion prevention strategies. This said, hydrothermal processes are some of the most effective and efficient technologies for destroying hazardous wastes, such as PFAS. This project will focus on measuring and mitigating the material corrosion challenges to enable more widespread adoption of hydrothermal processes for waste disposal. Additionally, HALT processing requires the use of alkaline chemicals as process additives. In this project, by adopting chemical recycling strategies, the use of chemicals may be drastically reduced, improving overall unit economics and reducing the environmental footprint of HALT processing.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.