SBIR Phase II: Scaling and Tailoring the Destruction of Emerging Contaminants with the Plasma Water Reactor

这一小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目的更广泛的商业影响是促进水公平和环境管理。新出现的令人关注的污染物(CECs)，如全氟烷基物质和多氟烷基物质(PFAS)，威胁着美国的自然资源。分离是目前全氟辛烷磺酸管理的实践状态，但这会产生危险废物，处置成本高昂，并带来长期责任。等离子体是一项很有前途的技术，但它难以规模化。该项目在现场研究一种创新的几何设计，在最大限度地减少能源消耗的同时，增强等离子体的点火和传播。现场部署将对环境产生积极影响，因为水回收、消除浪费以及减少碳和能源足迹。该项目鼓励多学科合作，并探索以股权为导向的商业模式，如购买一次捐赠一次和支付一次，试图保护那些最容易受到资源不安全影响的人。这些模式将水作为一种双重用途的资源，将消费者的成功与弱势社区的福利和社会经济流动性结合在一起。普瑞德还与拉瓜迪亚社区学院的环境科学项目合作，培养一支多元化、多学科的劳动力队伍。总体而言，该项目将加强水的安全性、稳定性和可持续性。该项目将在一个补救地点和一个州维护的垃圾填埋场试验基于等离子体的处理技术，这两个地点被密歇根州PFAS行动响应小组确定为高优先地点。这些都是具有挑战性的矩阵，但也是等离子体反应堆在过去成功消除CEC的地方。创新的几何方法最大限度地提高了等离子体-水界面，并使其能够扩展到商业上相关的流量。试点的成功标准将是使PFAS水平低于密歇根州允许的最大PFAS水平，有效流速约为5加仑/分钟，减少1+(90%)原木。全氟辛酸(PFOA)和全氟辛烷磺酸(PFOS)将作为指示化合物，因为它们普遍存在，而且联邦《安全饮用水法》提出了严格的标准。普瑞德公司将设计、制造、部署并对该领域的技术进行参数评估。普瑞德还将开发内部分析能力，如EPA方法草案1633和技术经济模型，试图分别降低和预测成本。假设技术目标实现，技术准备水平将显著提高，这意味着最低限度的可行产品将准备好全面使用。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader/commercial impacts of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project are the promotion of water equity and environmental stewardship. Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), threaten the natural resources of the United States. Separation is the current state-of-practice for PFAS management, but this produces hazardous waste where disposal is costly and introduces long-term liabilities. Plasma is a promising technology, but it struggles to scale. This project investigates in the field an innovative geometric design that enhances plasma ignition and propagation while minimizing energy consumption. Field deployment will positively impact the environment due to water reclamation, waste elimination, and carbon and energy footprint reduction. This project encourages multidisciplinary collaborations and explores equity-oriented business models, such as buy-one-donate-one and pay-it-forward, that attempt to safeguard those who are most vulnerable to resource insecurity. These models use water as a dual-purpose resource that couples the success of customers with the welfare and socioeconomic mobility of disadvantaged communities. Purafide is also collaborating with LaGuardia Community College’s environmental science program to develop a diverse, multidisciplinary workforce. Overall, this project will strengthen the security, stability, and sustainability of water.The project will pilot a plasma-based treatment technology at a remediation site and a state-maintained landfill, which was identified as high-priority sites by the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team. These are challenging matrices but also where the plasma reactor has successfully eliminated CECs in the past. The innovative geometric approach maximizes the plasma-water interface and enables scaling to commercially relevant flow rates. The success criteria for the pilots will be achieving PFAS levels below the Michigan Maximum allowable PFAS Levels with an effective flow rate of about five gal/min for 1+ (90%) log reduction. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) will serve as indicator compounds due to their prevalence and the strict standards proposed under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Purafide will design, manufacture, deploy, and parametrically assess the technology in the field. Purafide will also develop in-house analytical capabilities, such as Draft EPA Method 1633, and a technoeconomic model in an attempt to reduce and predict costs, respectively. Assuming the technical objective is accomplished, the technology readiness level will significantly increase, suggesting the minimum viable product will be ready for the full scale.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.