SERDP FY 2025 New Start Projects
Environmental Restoration (ER) Program Area
The objective of this Statement of Need (SON) was to seek fundamental or applied research to further understand the fate, transport, and treatment of microplastics in the environment impacted with per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) or other chemicals of concern (COCs). Specifically, the goal was to address the following research needs:
- Develop improved analytical methods for detecting and quantifying microplastics in environmental samples, as well as to detect and quantify COCs sorbed to microplastics in environmental samples.
- Improve the fundamental understanding of fate and transport processes of microplastics in surface water, stormwater, soil, sediment, and groundwater under varying natural and engineered conditions.
- Determine the impact of sorbed COCs on both the fate and transport of microplastics and the COCs with emphasis on mechanistic processes.
- Improve understanding of the degradation process of microplastics in the environment, including the evaluation of environmental factors and physical and chemical composition characteristics that may affect degradation rates.
- Develop remedial strategies for microplastics with sorbed COCs, such as PFAS, including a systematic assessment of the necessity for treatment train approaches.
The projects listed below were selected to address the objectives of this SON. Additional information on individual projects can be found by clicking the project title.
- WASPP: Wetland Attenuation of Sorbed Pollutants on Plastics
- Lead Investigator: Jonathan Sharp, Colorado School of Mines
- Using Colloidal Gas Aphrons (CGAs) to Remove Microplastics and PFAS from Water
- Lead Investigator: Kurt Pennell, Brown University
- Evaluation of an Existing Standard Reference Material for Microplastic Evaluation and PFAS Interaction with Microplastics
- Lead Investigator: Katherine Shaw, National Institute of Standards and Technology
- Laundering and Degradation of Military Textiles as a Source of PFAS and Microplastics to the Environment
- Lead Investigator: Monica Arienzo, Desert Research Institute
- Understanding Fate and Transport of Microplastics Impacted with PFAS in the Environment
- Lead Investigator: Nicole Fahrenfeld, Rutgers University
- Accumulation, Transport, and Treatment of Microplastics Impacted with PFAS in Stormwater Best Management Practices
- Lead Investigator: Sanjay Mohanty, University of California, Los Angeles
Research should lead to a better understanding of potential impacts of microplastics with sorbed COCs and how these systems can best be treated, leading to improved site management that is protective of human and ecological health.
