Novel clay mineral-based technologies for the treatment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances-impacted matrices

全氟和多氟烷基物质(PFAS)是加拿大和美国数千个受污染地点关注的主要污染物之一，也是最具挑战性的补救污染物之一。对于流动的全氟甲烷和被土壤、岩石或固体表面残留的全氟甲烷，迫切需要有效和可持续的修复技术。我们建议将系统的观点应用于从源头到羽流的PFAS污染问题，并建议开发基于天然粘土矿物和改性粘土矿物的模块化处理列车。对于处理列车，我们将开发创新、成本效益高和可持续的方法，以就地和非就地处理受PFAS影响的地下水和地表水、土壤和沉积物。我们的目标是(1)开发一种新的处理工艺，使用活性和自我再生的含铁粘土矿物通过自由基加速的PFAS降解来原位修复污染源区域，以及(2)进一步开发和评估用于去除具有挑战性的水基质中的移动/移动化PFAS的改性膨润土吸附剂。该团队将以初步数据和多年的全氟化肥和粘土矿物研究经验为基础，为未来粘土矿物在模块化就地和非原位处理全氟化肥中的应用发展机械过程的理解。我们的处理列车针对污染源，因此将为清理行动提供一个明确的终点，从而能够进行成本预测和环境影响评估。当实际和可持续的全氟辛烷磺酸处理解决方案被确定并得到很好的开发时，将有数千个地点可以应用这些解决方案。这些即将到来的补救项目将通过工程、技术开发、环境补救和水/废水处理市场来振兴加拿大的经济。受PFAS危机影响最大的联邦政府部门、市政当局和私营公司可能会将目前用于资助低效PFAS治疗的投资转向将极大地有利于加拿大经济的商业举措。

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are among the main contaminants of concern at thousands of contaminated sites in Canada and the United States and also among the most challenging pollutants to remediate. Efficient and sustainable remediation technologies are urgently needed for mobile PFAS and those retained by soils, rocks or solid surfaces. We propose to apply a systemic view to the PFAS contamination problem from source to plume and suggest developing a modular treatment train based on natural and modified clay minerals. For the treatment train, we will develop innovative, cost-effective, and sustainable approaches for in-situ and ex-situ treatment of PFAS-impacted ground- and surface water, soil, and sediment. Our objectives are (1) to develop a new treatment process that uses reactive and self-regenerating Fe-containing clay minerals for in-situ remediation of contaminant source zones via radical-accelerated PFAS degradation, and (2) to further develop and evaluate modified bentonite adsorbents for the removal of mobile/mobilized PFASs in challenging water matrices. The team will build upon preliminary data and years of experience in PFAS and clay mineral research to develop the mechanistic process understanding for future applications of clay minerals for modular in-situ and ex-situ treatment of PFAS. Our treatment train targets the source of contamination and will therefore provide a clear endpoint for clean-up operations, which enables cost predictions and environmental impact assessments. When practical and sustainable PFAS treatment solutions are identified and well developed, there will be thousands of sites where the solutions could be applied. These upcoming remediation projects will energize Canada's economy through engineering, technology development, environmental remediation and water/wastewater treatment market. Federal government departments, municipalities and private corporations most affected by the PFAS crisis to may redirect investments currently used to fund inefficient PFAS treatments to business initiatives that would greatly benefit to the Canadian economy.