L2M NSERC - A process for the removal of forever chemicals

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Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent chemicals which have drawn substantial attention due to their potential toxicity and ubiquitous presence in the environment. Close to 42,000 and 6,000 active or suspected PFAS contaminated sites have been detected in the US and Canada, respectively. Recently, several PFAS have been linked to cancer, liver/kidney damage and developmental effects in infants. Consequently, PFAS are regulated with immediate action under different jurisdictional guidelines throughout the world. More importantly, PFAS are not removed by the common water treatment technologies employed in majority of the treatment systems across the globe. In this work, we use multiple synergistic technologies simultaneously to effectively achieve in-situ remediation of PFAS, overcoming technical, economical, and environmental challenges associated with alternative PFAS treatment processes. PFAS are firstly concentrated from a large volume of feed water using adsorptive materials. Then, through destructive technologies, concentrated PFAS in the retentate are mineralized and exhausted adsorptive materials are regenerated for further cycles, thereby reducing the carbon footprint or environmental impact. This process is able to remove long- and short-chained, precursor, and emerging PFAS. It also prevents further release of fluorinated chemicals to the environment which happens through incineration or burying adsorptive processes' residue.