PFI-TT: Destroying toxic and persistent perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) with Advanced Materials and Light

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation – Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is to remove toxic perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals from water by destroying them permanently. This technology has the potential for profound societal impact by improving overall human and environmental health. With upcoming federal regulations, this technology (a reusable and green alternative that uses only light and no chemical additives) will be cost-competitive and responsive to the large market need for destructive PFAS technologies. This project will broaden participation of female and underrepresented minority students through active recruitment. Students will receive training and networking opportunities from Rice University’s Idea Lab for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and industrial experience through collaboration and mentorship with our partners. The proposed project builds upon fundamental research on how a safe and commercially available material interacts with light to destroy fluorine-containing manmade organic compounds with unusual effectiveness and durability under a wide range of conditions. The ease-of-use and ambient conditions of this photocatalysis chemistry makes the water treatment process a scalable one, to eventually treat everything from drinking water in a kitchen faucet to industrial sites, wastewater treatment plants, and firefighting training sites. The project will first optimize catalyst performance using actual test waters. The second task focuses on scaling up the catalyst synthesis to kilogram amounts, as well as determining optimum operational parameters using test waters and determining catalyst stability. The final task is to validate the technology at the pilot scale at flow rates of up to 5 GPM over periods of weeks. Cost analyses based on the electrical energy per order needed will be used to assess potential commercial application.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.