I-Corps: Water Treatment with Boron Nitride Materials

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是水处理技术的发展。PER/多氟烷基物质(PFAS)是一组持久性的人造化学物质，广泛存在于包括饮用水在内的水资源中。饮用水中微量的全氟辛烷磺酸被认为是有毒的，可能会在人类和野生动物体内生物积累。全氟辛烷磺酸与发育和生殖问题、肝脏损伤和癌症有关。目前，美国联邦一级对PFAS没有监管，但饮用水、地下水和工业废水中的PFAS法规将在2024年前由美国环保局实施。在法规实施和当前水处理技术无效的推动下，该项目将为受影响的行业探索新的系统。与产生废水的传统净水技术不同，这项技术没有有毒的副产品。虽然目前有商业化的技术可以用吸附剂或反渗透来去除全氟辛烷磺酸，但这些技术不会破坏全氟辛烷磺酸，因此也不会产生受全氟辛烷磺酸污染的废流。现有的商业化销毁全氟辛烷磺酸的技术，包括焚烧和电氧化，都是能源密集型和昂贵的。这个i-Corps项目是基于基于氮化硼基光催化剂的技术的开发。饮用水中百万分之几的全氟辛烷磺酸被认为是有毒的，可以在人类和野生动物体内生物积累。该团队寻求开发的技术，可以有效地消除PFAS的监管限制，并永久摧毁PFAS只使用地球丰富的氮化硼为基础的材料，光和环境空气。该系统不会产生有毒的废流，也不需要焚烧进行再生，因此是高效、经济和可持续的。无毒的碳酸氢盐和氟离子是这一过程中唯一的副产品。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 impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of water treatment technologies. Per/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of persistent man-made chemicals, have a widespread presence in water resources, including drinking water. Tiny amounts of PFAS in drinking water are considered toxic and can bioaccumulate in humans and wildlife. PFAS has been linked to developmental and reproductive problems, liver damage, and cancer. PFAS is currently unregulated at the Federal level in the U.S., but PFAS regulations in drinking water, groundwater, and industrial wastewater will be implemented by the U.S EPA before 2024. Driven by the implementation of regulations and the ineffectiveness of current water treatment technologies, this project will explore new systems for affected industries. Unlike conventional water purification technologies, which produce waste streams, this technology has no toxic byproducts. While there are current commercialized technologies to remove PFAS with adsorbents or reverse osmosis, these do not destroy PFAS and hence create PFAS-contaminated waste streams. The extant commercialized technologies which destroy PFAS, including incineration and electro-oxidation, are energy-intensive and expensive.This I-Corps project is based on the development of technology based on boron nitride-based photocatalysts. Parts per quadrillion levels of PFAS in drinking water are considered toxic and can bioaccumulate in humans and wildlife. The team seeks to develop technologies that can effectively remove PFAS to regulatory limits and also permanently destroy PFAS using only earth-abundant boron nitride-based materials, light, and ambient air. The system does not produce toxic waste streams and does not need incineration for regeneration, and thus is efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable. Non-toxic bicarbonate and fluoride ions are the only byproducts of the process.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.