Grantee Research Project Results
Aqueous Electrostatic Concentrator to Remove Per- andPoly-fluoroalkylSubstances from Water
EPA Contract Number: 68HERD19C0017Title: Aqueous Electrostatic Concentrator to Remove Per- andPoly-fluoroalkylSubstances from Water
Investigators: Jackson, Kevin B
Small Business: BioLargo, Inc.
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: May 1, 2019 through October 31, 2019
Project Amount: $99,841
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2019) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) , Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR): Phase 1 (2019) , SBIR - Water Quality
Description:
This proposal addresses the need for a pre-treatment technology to remove per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from industrial wastewaters. Phase I involves the design, build and testing of a novel technology to remove PFAS from water, termed the Aqueous Electrostatic Concentrator (AEC). This technology will be tested as an electrical bench-scale device that concentrates PFAS through selective separation of PFAS in water matrices, with the goal of removing PFAS to below EPA- recommended human health levels.
The technical feasibility of the concept is based on the electrical properties of PFAS and is similar in principal to electrostatic precipitation and electro-separation technologies. Once sufficiently concentrated, the PFAS can be treated with complementary unit operations (e.g., GAC beds) to destroy or capture these compounds for recycling. The AEC technology is expected to be quickly adopted for tertiary treatment of industrial wastewaters. The end users will be industries, particularly textile, coating formulation, and industrial facilities undergoing remediation for PFAS. The market size is expected to be 1,315 facilities. Competing technologies are primarily GAC, with ion exchange and advanced oxidation processes (AOP) to a lesser extent. AEC can be used together with these technologies, particularly GAC and AOP to provide treatment synergies.
Progress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.