FY 2018 STATEMENT OF NEED

Environmental Restoration (ER) Program Area 

The objective of this Statement of Need (SON) was to seek applied research to develop cost-effective in situ or ex situ remedial technologies for groundwater contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) resulting from the use of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) formulations by the Department of Defense (DoD). Proposers were asked to focus on the following objectives:

• Develop cost effective, in situ or ex situ remedial approaches for treating PFAS-contaminated groundwater, including consideration of the impact of common co-contaminants on the remedial process given these compounds were commonly utilized at sites contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and possibly chlorinated solvents (e.g., historical fire training sites).
• Develop treatment train approaches that cost-effectively treat PFASs and facilitate treatment of co-contaminants. Include the justification for a treatment train approach over a single technology.

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.

• Rational Design and Implementation of Novel Polymer Adsorbents for Selective Uptake of PFAS from Groundwater
  • Lead Investigator: Dr. Damian Helbling, Cornell University
• Ex Situ Treatment of PFAS-Impacted Groundwater Using Ion Exchange with Regeneration
  • Lead Investigator: Dr. Mark Fuller, CB&I Federal Services
• Remediation of PFAS-Impacted Groundwater Using Cationic Hydrophobic Polymers as Ultra-High Affinity Sorbents
  • Lead Investigator: Dr. Reyes Sierra-Alvarez, University of Arizona
• Regenerable Resin Sorbent Technologies with Regenerant Solution Recycling for Sustainable Treatment of PFAS
  • Lead Investigator: Dr. Timothy Strathmann, Colorado School of Mines
• An Electrocoagulation and Electrooxidation Treatment Train to Degrade Perfluoroalkyl Substances and Other Persistent Organic Contaminants in Groundwater
  • Lead Investigator: Dr. Dora Chiang, CDM Smith
• Treatment of Legacy and Emerging Fluoroalkyl Chemicals in Groundwater with  Integrated Approaches: Rapid and Regenerable Adsorption and UV-Induced Defluorination
  • Lead Investigator: Dr. Jinyong Liu, University of California, Riverside
• Removal of Complex Mixtures of Perfluoroalkyl Acids from Water Using Molecularly Engineered Coatings on Sand and Silica
  • Lead Investigator: Dr. Paul Edmiston, The College of Wooster
• Combined In Situ / Ex Situ Treatment Train for Remediation of PFAS-Impacted Groundwater
  • Lead Investigator: Dr. Michelle Crimi, Clarkson University
• Electrochemical Oxidation of Perfluoroalkyl Acids in Still Bottoms from Regeneration of Ion Exchange Resins
  • Lead Investigator: Dr. Qingguo Huang, University of Georgia
• Electrically Assisted Sorption and Desorption of PFAS
  • Lead Investigator: Dr. Douglas Call, North Carolina State University
• Molecular Design of Effective and Versatile Adsorbents for Ex Situ Treatment of AFFF-Impacted Groundwater
  • Lead Investigator: Dr. Mandy Michalsen, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Research should lead to improved management of PFAS contaminated sites by facilitating the establishment of more cost-effective and efficient remedial action plans that are protective of human health and the environment. The remediation approaches that will be developed through this SON will improve the reliability of contaminant treatment processes and expedite the cleanup and closure of contaminated DoD sites.