ERASE-PFAS: Coupling electrified separation and reaction approaches for short-chain PFAS remediation in semiconductor manufacturing

ERASE-PFAS：半导体制造中短链 PFAS 修复的耦合电化分离和反应方法

• 批准号: 2329449
• 负责人: Xiao Su
• 金额: $ 50万
• 依托单位: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-12-01 至 2026-11-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2329449&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: ERASE; PFAS; Coupling; electrified; separation

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals that are commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence, stability, and resistance to natural environmental degradation processes. During the last two decades, PFAS have been increasingly detected in surface water systems (e.g., lakes and rivers) and groundwater aquifers which serve as sources of drinking water for many communities throughout the United States. While increasing regulatory measures have led to many long-chain PFAS such perfluoro octane sulfonic acid (PFOS) being phased out, short-chain PFAS (e.g., perfluoroalkane sulfonic acids with six or fewer carbon atoms) are actively being used as alternatives in industries such as the semiconductor industry. In semiconductor manufacturing, short chain PFAS compounds are utilized as functional materials in various unit processes/applications including photoresists, antireflective coatings, wetting agents, etchants, and coolants. Semiconductor fabs generate significant amounts of wastewater with variable concentrations for short chain PFAS ranging from 10-100 ppt (nanograms/L) to 20 ppm (milligrams/L). The overarching goal of this project is to design, evaluate, and optimize an integrated electrosorption and electrocatalytic process that can selectively extract and degrade short chains PFAS from semiconductor wastewater. The successful completion of this project will benefit society through the development and implementation of more efficient technologies to treat and remediate industrial wastewater and drinking water sources contaminated by short chain PFAS. Additional benefits to society will be achieved through student education and training including the mentoring of two graduate students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Because semiconductor wastewater streams typically consist of complex and high turbidity mixtures that contain suspended solids (e.g., silica and cerium nanoparticles), toxic metal ions (e.g., copper) and dissolved organic pollutants (e.g., complexing ligands and surfactants), established and commercial technologies (e.g., ion exchange, sorption with granular activated carbon, and reverse osmosis) cannot effectively extract and destroy short chain PFAS from semiconductor wastewater. A major goal of this project is to advance the fundamental science and engineering knowledge required to develop the next-generation of integrated electrochemical separation and reaction systems that can selectively capture, release, and destroy short-chain PFAS in contaminated water with a focus on wastewater streams from the semiconductor industry. The specific objectives of the research are to (1) design, synthesize, and characterize electroactive polymer sorbents with high selectivity for short-chain PFAS; (2) evaluate the reactivity of short-chain PFAS at gas-liquid and solid-liquid interfaces to advance the design of electrochemical reactors for PFAS degradation; and (3) evaluate the destruction of short-chain PFAS via coupled electrosorption and electrochemical degradation using plasma and boron-doped, diamond-based electrodes. The successful completion of this project has the potential for transformative impact through the generation of new materials and fundamental knowledge to guide the design, development, and implementation of more efficient technologies to treat and remediate PFAS contaminated wastewater. To implement the educational and outreach goals of this project, the Principal Investigators (PIs) propose to leverage existing programs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) such as the Youth in Science and Engineering camps to develop and deliver educational activities for K-12 students including workshops on both water purification and plasma engineering. In addition, the PIs also plan to leverage the UIUC Merrill Scholars Program and the Illinois Undergraduate Scholars Program to recruit and mentor undergraduate students from underrepresented groups to work on the project research activities.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.

全氟烷基和多氟烷基物质（PFAS）是一组人造化学品，由于其持久性、稳定性和对自然环境降解过程的抗性，通常被称为“永久化学品”。 在过去的二十年里，PFAS在地表水系统中的检测越来越多（例如，湖泊和河流）和地下蓄水层，这些蓄水层是美国许多社区的饮用水来源。虽然越来越多的监管措施已导致许多长链全氟辛烷磺酸（PFOS）被逐步淘汰，但短链全氟辛烷磺酸（例如，具有六个或更少碳原子的全氟烷烃磺酸）正被积极地用作工业如半导体工业中的替代物。在半导体制造中，短链PFAS化合物用作各种单元工艺/应用中的功能材料，包括光致抗蚀剂、抗反射涂层、润湿剂、蚀刻剂和冷却剂。半导体工厂会产生大量的废水，其中短链PFAS的浓度从10-100 ppt（纳克/L）到20 ppm（毫克/L）不等。该项目的总体目标是设计，评估和优化一个集成的电吸附和电催化过程，可以选择性地提取和降解半导体废水中的短链PFAS。该项目的成功完成将通过开发和实施更有效的技术来处理和修复受短链PFAS污染的工业废水和饮用水源，从而造福社会。通过学生教育和培训，包括对伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校两名研究生的指导，将为社会带来更多好处。因为半导体废水流通常由含有悬浮固体（例如，二氧化硅和铈纳米颗粒），有毒金属离子（例如，铜）和溶解的有机污染物（例如，络合配体和表面活性剂），已建立和商业化的技术（例如，离子交换、用颗粒活性炭吸附和反渗透）不能有效地从半导体废水中提取和破坏短链PFAS。该项目的主要目标是推进开发下一代集成电化学分离和反应系统所需的基础科学和工程知识，该系统可以选择性地捕获，释放和破坏污染水中的短链PFAS，重点是半导体行业的废水流。本研究的具体目标是：（1）设计、合成和表征对短链PFAS具有高选择性的电活性聚合物吸附剂;（2）评价短链PFAS在气液界面和固液界面上的反应活性，以促进PFAS降解电化学反应器的设计;以及（3）使用等离子体和掺硼的金刚石基电极，通过耦合电吸附和电化学降解来评估短链PFAS的破坏。该项目的成功完成有可能通过产生新材料和基础知识来指导设计，开发和实施更有效的技术来处理和修复PFAS污染的废水，从而产生变革性影响。为了实现该项目的教育和推广目标，主要研究者（PI）建议利用伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校（UIUC）的现有项目，如科学与工程营的青年，为K-12学生开发和提供教育活动，包括水净化和等离子体工程研讨会。此外，PI还计划利用UIUC梅里尔学者计划和伊利诺伊大学本科生学者计划，从代表性不足的群体中招募和指导本科生从事项目研究活动。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并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，被认为值得支持。