FY 2023 STATEMENT OF NEED 

Environmental Restoration (ER) Program Area

The objective of this Statement on Need (SON) was to develop an improved understanding of transformation processes for polyfluoroalkyl substances (aka “precursors”) in the subsurface at aqueous film forming foam (AFFF)-impacted sites. Specifically, the goal was to address the following research needs:

• Identify microbiological and/or abiotic processes and pathways capable of either transforming or degrading AFFF-relevant precursors.
• Evaluate relevant environmental factors that affect transformation rates such as subsurface geochemistry, soil chemical/physical properties, nutrient availability, etc.
• Develop methodologies and/or molecular biological tools (MBTs) to assess or predict the extent and rate of in situ transformation under ambient field conditions.

The projects to be funded will be identified by the Fall 2022.

Research should lead to improved risk assessment and site management decisions by providing knowledge of the ubiquity with which transformation processes occur, rates of transformation, how those rates potentially change over time, and the relevant terminal perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAA) transformation products.