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

全氟烷基和多氟烷基物质（PFAS）是加拿大和美国数千个污染场地中令人关切的主要污染物之一，也是最难修复的污染物之一。对于流动的PFAS和土壤、岩石或固体表面所保留的PFAS，迫切需要有效和可持续的修复技术。我们建议从系统的角度研究PFAS污染问题，并建议开发一套基于天然和改性粘土矿物的模块化处理方案。在处理方面，我们将开发创新的、具有成本效益的和可持续的方法，对受pfas影响的地面和地表水、土壤和沉积物进行原位和非原位处理。我们的目标是：(1)开发一种新的处理工艺，利用活性和自我再生的含铁粘土矿物，通过自由基加速PFAS降解来原位修复污染源区域；(2)进一步开发和评估改性膨润土吸附剂，以去除具有挑战性的水基质中移动/移动的PFASs。该团队将以初步数据和多年来在PFAS和粘土矿物研究方面的经验为基础，为未来在PFAS模块化原位和非原位处理中应用粘土矿物开发机制过程的理解。我们的处理方案以污染源为目标，因此将为清理操作提供明确的终点，从而实现成本预测和环境影响评估。当确定并开发出实用和可持续的PFAS处理方案时，将有数千个地点可以应用这些解决方案。这些即将到来的修复项目将通过工程、技术开发、环境修复和水/废水处理市场为加拿大经济注入活力。受PFAS危机影响最大的联邦政府部门、市政当局和私营企业可能会将目前用于资助效率低下的PFAS治疗的投资转向对加拿大经济大有裨益的商业计划。

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.