Remediation of soil and groundwater impacted by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances

全氟烷基和多氟烷基物质(PFAS)是加拿大湖泊、湿地、地下水和土壤中发现的新污染物。由于全氟辛烷磺酸的毒性、持久性和无处不在，开发全氟辛烷磺酸的治疗策略和技术是整个北美的迫切需要。研究结果将直接惠及在受PFAS影响的地点负有环境责任的加拿大行业、政府和土地所有者。例如，加拿大机场、石化设施、消防站和军事基地的灭火训练区、使用含全氟辛烷磺酸的灭火泡沫灭火的地点，以及使用全氟辛烷磺酸防水衣物、制造某些食品包装和容器以及在织物和地毯上应用防水剂的工业场所。*目前，没有现场破坏性技术可用于处理全氟辛烷磺酸。受污染的土壤通过挖掘和非现场焚烧来处理，这一过程成本高昂，并涉及沿公共走廊运输受全氟辛烷磺酸影响的土壤。受污染的地下水通过抽水处理或吸附屏障进行处理，这些屏障的成本可能很高，而且必须永久运行。这项研究的目的是促进三种不同技术的使用和有效性，以处理受PFAS影响的土壤和地下水，从而使破坏达到低于加拿大筛选值的水平。这些技术是：1)球磨，2)结合氧化剂的球磨，3)金属催化的还原剂。研究将由一个由三名研究生和一名博士后研究员组成的团队在实验室进行，合作伙伴包括女王大学和加拿大皇家军事学院的教授，以及两个提供现金和实物捐助的工业伙伴。*

Perfluoralkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are emerging contaminants that have been found in Canadian lakes, wetlands, groundwater and soil. The development of treatment strategies and technologies for PFAS represents an urgent need throughout North America due to their toxicity, persistence and ubiquity. Research results will directly benefit Canadian industries, governments and land owners who have environmental liabilities at PFAS impacted sites. Examples include fire-fighting training areas at Canadian airports, petrochemical facilities, fire stations and military bases, sites where fire-fighting foams containing PFAS have been employed to extinguish fires, and industrial sites where PFAS have been used to waterproof clothing, manufacture certain food wrappers and containers, and the application of water repellants on fabrics and carpets. ****Currently, there are no on-site destructive technologies available for the treatment of PFAS. Contaminated soil is treated by excavation and off-site incineration, which is costly and involves the transportation of PFAS impacted soil along public corridors. Contaminated groundwater is treated by either pump-and-treat or adsorptive barriers, which can be costly and must be operated in perpetuity. The objectives of this research are to advance the use and effectiveness of three different technologies for the treatment of soil and groundwater impacted by PFAS such that destruction to below Canadian screening values can be achieved. These technologies are: 1) ball-milling, 2) ball-milling in combination with oxidants, and 3) metal-catalyzed reductants. Research will be carried out in the laboratory by a team of three graduate students and a post-doctoral fellow in collaboration with professors from Queen's University and Royal Military College of Canada, and two industrial partners who are providing cash and in-kind contributions.****