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

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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.