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DE-SC0025631: Destruction of PFAS on Nanofibrous Adsorbents using Low Temperature Plasma

Award Status: Active
  • Institution: North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC
  • UEI: SKH5GMBR9GL3
  • DUNS: 071576482
  • Most Recent Award Date: 09/17/2024
  • Number of Support Periods: 1
  • PM: Podder, Nirmol
  • Current Budget Period: 09/01/2024 - 08/31/2025
  • Current Project Period: 09/01/2024 - 08/31/2025
  • PI: Zhang, Lifeng
  • Supplement Budget Period: N/A
 

Public Abstract

PFAS are a family of thousands of fully/highly fluorinated aliphatic chemicals that are manufactured for diverse applications in consumer products. Due to the high strength of C−F bond and easy deprotonation of headgroups in water, PFAS keep accumulating in various water resources. Concerns regarding human health from PFAS exposure are increasing in recent years due to their adverse health effects. On April 10, 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the final National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) and established legally enforceable PFAS levels in drinking water. Regardless of the advances in PFAS adsorption and destruction, there is still a big gap for complete PFAS remediation from water. Low temperature plasma (LTP) is a promising emerging technology for PFAS destruction. The plasma-generated high-energy electrons may directly interact with PFAS molecules to break C−F bonds. It is noteworthy that the combination of high-efficiency PFAS nanofibrous adsorbent materials from the PI’s lab and the LTP research facility - Princeton Collaborative Research Facility (PCRF) at PPPL can realize a one-pot complete solution to the PFAS water contamination. The goal of this research is to study the interaction between LTP and PFAS molecules on the surface of a variety of nanofibrous PFAS adsorbent materials and check if the stable C-F bonds in PFAS molecules can be destroyed through LTP treatment and how efficient the destruction is. Upon the success of this project, in-depth understanding of interaction between PFAS molecules and LTP as well as PFAS destruction with LTP will be acquired and a practicable and complete remediation pathway of PFAS from water will be enabled. The proposed work will pave the way for a converging and sustainable route to supply clean and safe water to millions of people nationwide. This project will also serve as a platform to train the next generation of plasma scientists and engineers from historically underrepresented communities.

 



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