ERASE-PFAS: Exploring efficient pilot-scale treatment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and comingled chlorinated solvents in groundwater using magnetic nanomaterials

全氟烷基和多氟烷基物质（PFAS）是自20世纪40年代以来制造并用于众多消费品和工业应用的含氟有机化学品。PFAS通常被称为“永久化学品”，因为它们具有持久性，稳定性和对自然环境降解过程的抗性。此外，全氟辛烷磺酸已被证明在人体组织和水生生物中具有生物蓄积性，这引起了人们对其毒性以及对人类和生态系统健康的不利影响的担忧。在过去的二十年中，PFAS越来越多地在地下水含水层中被检测到，这些含水层是美国许多社区的饮用水来源。在受污染的地下水含水层中，PFAS通常与其他有毒化学品一起发现，如三氯乙烯（TCE）和四氯乙烯（PCE）等氯化溶剂。该项目的总体目标是设计，评估和优化一种新型的两相暗光反应器（DRL），用于使用磁性和光化学活性纳米材料对PFAS和氯化溶剂混合物污染的地下水进行非原位处理。该项目的成功完成将通过产生基础知识来促进有效和可持续技术的开发和部署，以处理和补救受PFAS和氯化溶剂混合物污染的地下水含水层，从而造福社会。通过学生教育和培训，包括指导南伊利诺伊大学卡本代尔分校的三名研究生，将为社会带来额外的好处。在地下水含水层和地下地层中，PFAS污染物通常与有毒化学品混合，如三氯乙烯（TCE）和四氯乙烯（PCE）等氯化溶剂。 然而，迄今为止，有限的研究一直致力于处理和补救被全氟辛烷磺酸和氯化溶剂的混合物污染的地下水含水层。此外，迫切需要进行试点研究，以证明和验证有前途的PFAS地下水修复技术的可行性和现场规模的适用性，这些技术正在实验室规模的研究中进行调查。本研究的目标是开发，评估和验证现场规模的适用性的集成吸附-光催化过程的非原位处理和修复的PFAS和TCE/PCE的混合物污染的地下水。为了推进这一目标，主要研究者（PI）和研究团队建议设计、评估和优化两相暗光反应器（DRL），该反应器将在黑暗下利用纳米材料吸附PFAS并部分破坏TCE/PCE，然后将纳米材料暴露于紫外线下以破坏剩余的吸附PFS和TCE/PCE污染物。该研究的具体目标是：1）使用创新和可扩展的工艺合成和表征纳米级零价铁/还原氧化石墨烯纳米杂化物; 2）进行实验室规模研究，以评估环境因素对DLR使用目标1中合成的纳米材料去除受污染地下水中PFAS和TCE/PCE的效率的影响，及3）进行试验性实地研究，以评估及优化新型DRL及纳米材料对受PFAS及三氯乙烯/四氯乙烯混合物污染的地下水进行迁地处理及修复的成效。为了实现该项目的教育和推广目标，PI计划利用南伊利诺伊大学卡本代尔分校的研究丰富挑战（REACH）计划，招募和指导本科女生参与该项目。 此外，本发明还提供了一种方法，PI计划与美国地质调查局（USGS）和伊利诺伊州环境保护局（EPA）合作，分享研究结果，并讨论新的两相暗-该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识产权进行评估来支持。优点和更广泛的影响审查标准。

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are fluorinated organic chemicals that have been manufactured and used in numerous consumer products and industrial applications since the 1940s. PFAS are commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence, stability, and resistance to natural environmental degradation processes. In addition, PFAS have been shown to bioaccumulate in human tissues and aquatic organisms raising concerns about their toxicity and adverse impact on human and ecosystem health. During the last two decades, PFAS have been increasingly detected in groundwater aquifers which serve as sources of drinking water for many communities throughout the United States. In contaminated groundwater aquifers, PFAS are often found alongside other toxic chemicals such as chlorinated solvents including trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE). The overarching goal of this project is to design, evaluate, and optimize a novel two-phase dark-light reactor (DRL) for the ex-situ treatment of groundwater contaminated by mixtures of PFAS and chlorinated solvents using magnetic and photochemically active nanomaterials. The successful completion of this project will benefit society through the generation of fundamental knowledge to advance the development and deployment of efficient and sustainable technologies for the treatment and remediation of groundwater aquifers contaminated by mixtures of PFAS and chlorinated solvents. Additional benefits to society will be achieved through student education and training including the mentoring of three graduate students at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.In groundwater aquifers and subsurface formations, PFAS contaminants are often commingled with toxic chemicals such as chlorinated solvents including trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE). However, to date, limited research has been devoted to the treatment and remediation of groundwater aquifers contaminated by mixtures of PFAS and chlorinated solvents. In addition, there is a critical need for pilot-scale studies to demonstrate and validate the feasibility and field-scale applicability of promising PFAS groundwater remediation technologies that are being investigated in bench scale laboratory studies. The goal of this research is to develop, evaluate, and validate the field-scale applicability of an integrated sorption-photocatalytic process for the ex-situ treatment and remediation of groundwater contaminated by mixtures of PFAS and TCE/PCE. To advance this goal, the Principal Investigator (PI) and research team propose to design, evaluate, and optimize a two-phase dark-light reactor (DRL) that will utilize nanomaterials under darkness to sorb PFAS and partially destroy TCE/PCE followed by exposure of the nanomaterials to UV light to destroy the remaining sorbed PFS and TCE/PCE contaminants. The specific objectives of the research are to 1) synthesize and characterize nanoscale zero-valent iron/reduced graphene oxide nanohybrids using an innovative and scalable process ; 2) conduct bench scale lab studies to assess the impacts of environmental factors on the efficiency of the DLR to remove PFAS and TCE/PCE in contaminated groundwater using the nanomaterials that are synthesized in Objective 1, and 3) conduct pilot field studies to evaluate and optimize the effectiveness of the new DRL and nanomaterials for the ex-situ treatment and remediation of groundwater contaminated by mixtures of PFAS and TCE/PCE. To implement the educational and outreach goals of this project, the PI plans to leverage the Research Enriched Challenge (REACH) program at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale to recruit and mentor undergraduate female students to work on the project. In addition, the PI plans to engage with the US Geological Survey (USGS) and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to share the results of the research and discuss potential field applications/demonstrations of the new two-phase dark-light reactor at contaminated sites in the State of Illinois.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.