FY 2020 STATEMENT OF NEED

Environmental Restoration (ER) Program Area

The objective of this Statement of Need (SON) was to develop standard operating protocols to assess the potential for leaching and mobility of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from solids, soils, and sediments. There is a need for rapid, accurate, and reproducible characterization of PFAS in solids to aid in the screening, geochemical assessment and disposal requirements of PFAS and PFAS-contaminated materials at military installations. Specifically, the goal was to address the following research needs:

  • Development of a standardized method, similar to the Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure (SW-846 Method 1312), to assess the leachability and mobility of PFAS from solid matrices.
  • Development of new or improved methods to evaluate sorption/desorption affinity of PFAS for specific solid materials of concern to the DoD.
     

The project listed below was selected to address the objectives of this SON. Additional information on individual projects can be found by clicking the project title. 

 
Research should provide support for the development of site-specific assessment of PFAS leachability to water, as well as support remedial design and waste disposal of PFAS-containing solids at DoD sites. This will in turn lead to improved management of PFAS sites by facilitating more accurate and precise assessments of the extent of PFAS contamination.