Grantee Research Project Results
Functionalized Membranes for Removal of PFAS
EPA Grant Number: SU840145Title: Functionalized Membranes for Removal of PFAS
Investigators: Esfahani, Milad R , Tick, Geoffrey R
Institution: The University of Alabama
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: December 1, 2020 through November 30, 2021 (Extended to November 30, 2022)
Project Amount: $25,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2020) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
Description:
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are current threats to human and environmental health and pose a risk to the safety of groundwater, surface water, and drinking water. The main concern of PFAS relates to their high toxicity, bioaccumulation, persistence in the environment, and the fact that they are known to be endocrine disruptors and carcinogens. PFAS contamination of soil and water resources is a nationwide problem. This includes many regions and states in the U.S., such as Alabama, California, Arizona, Tennessee, Michigan, New York, and others with higher levels of PFAS compared to the levels of concern [1-3]. The scientific community and the public have become increasingly concerned about the worldwide contamination of surface water by PFAS due to their ubiquitious detection in humans and their associated high toxicity and potential carinogenic classification. Therefore, the development of a feasible, high performance, and cost-effective approach for removal of PFAS from surface water is a critical need for public safety. The hypothesis is that the proposed membrane surface functionalization by polydopamine (pDA) and incorporation of nanosized activated carbon will enhance the selectivity and removal capability of membranes towards both the short-chained and long-chained PFAS compounds without deteriorating the membrane flux and antifouling properties. The hypothesis will be examined through three objectives of 1) membrane fabrication, functionalization, and characterization, 2) static adsorption tests for the functionalized membrane, and 3) PFAS removal tests through cross-flow filtration experiments.
Approach:
Membrane-based separation processes have shown significant performance by providing a reliable, flexible, and environmentally friendly approach for the removal of contaminants from water. The main limiting factor of membrane-based separation is the tradeoff between rejection and permeance, and that increasing one of them might compromise the other one. Therefore, there is a need to functionalize the membranes and tune them for enhanced rejection capability for specific contaminants without sacrificing the permeability of the membranes. Membrane surface functionalization will be completed through the polymerization of the hydrophilic polydopamine layer with a negative electrical surface charge on the membrane surface through the dip-coating process. Then the nano-size (superfine) powder activated carbon will be incorporated into the pDA to provide adsorption properties for PFAS compounds. The combination of adsorption and surface repulsion will be used to remove both short- and long-chain PFAS compounds from water.
Expected Results:
Phase I efforts will focus on the functionalization of membranes and examination of the membrane rejection for PFAS long- and short-chains, and examination of membrane permeability in the lab scale. Written outputs will include the Phase I report to EPA and Phase II proposal, with journal publications to follow the completion of Phase I. During Phase II, our longterm goals for this research are (i) Increase the antifouling capability of the fabricated membranes for longer operation time and (ii) Scale-up the fabrication process to pilot plant scale
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 4 publications for this projectJournal Articles:
Journal Articles have been submitted on this project: View all 4 journal articles for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
drinking water, innovative technology, adsorption, separation
Progress and Final Reports:
P3 Phase II:
Planet-friendly and scalable approach towards 100% recyclable water- and oil-resistant paper | 2022 Progress ReportThe 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.