Occurrence of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and their removal using novel regenerable ion exchange resins

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PFAS are ubiquitous in the environment and in people, who are exposed to these compounds via contaminated food and water, consumer products, and workplaces. Exposure to several PFAS has been linked to a range of health effects in both human and animal studies, even at very low trace levels. PFAS are so environmentally persistent that they have been termed " forever chemicals". Currently in the US there are 42,000 PFAS contaminated sites identified. In Canada alone, these chemicals have contaminated even the most remote parts of our country, including the Canadian Arctic marine ecosystems and our most important freshwater resource - the Great Lakes. It is forecasted that PFAS will drive water utilities to spend in excess of $12 billion until 2030. Treatment technologies such as ion exchange (IX) process are among the few existing techniques that exhibit promising potentials for the removal of toxic PFAS from natural waters. However, the present-day industrial practice is to develop specialized PFAS-specific resins which are typically operated in a single load-and-dispose mode until exhaustion. This strategy increases the resin demand and the consequent operational cost of IX and challenge of concentrated toxic waste management. In addition, the current technologies are extremely expensive, preventing many water utilities to take the needed action. We plan on addressing these gaps in knowledge and technology, by first assessing the occurrence of PFAS in some Canadian water supplies, as well as identifying the links between source water quality, resin microstructure, regeneration protocols and PFAS defluorination (or elimination) techniques. The proposed network approach to research and close partnership among different academic researchers, government agencies, water utilities, consulting engineers, and technology providers, we will not only help the regulatory authorities and water utilities to win the fight against PFAS and ensure safe drinking water for generations to come, but also provide the Canadian industry, especially our partners, the tools and technologies to compete in this fast emerging market.