Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Turnkey PFAS Removal to Destruction Treatment Train
EPA Contract Number: 68HERC21C0020Title: Turnkey PFAS Removal to Destruction Treatment Train
Investigators: Vitaku, Edon
Small Business: Cyclopure, Inc.
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: March 1, 2021 through August 31, 2021
Project Amount: $100,000
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2021) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) , SBIR - Land Revitalization
Description:
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have emerged as a persistent threat to drinking water throughout the world. Their pervasive contamination of U.S. drinking water resources has emerged as a major health crisis affecting over 200 million Americans. Given the moniker “forever chemicals” due to their high chemical and thermal stability, PFAS bioaccumulate with considerably long half-lives in humans. As such, there is an urgent need for a technology that can both (1) remove PFAS from contaminated waters, and (2) completely mineralize PFAS to prevent them from circulating back into the environment.
The overarching goal of this Phase I project was to develop a PFAS destruction method that can be incorporated in a turnkey Treatment Train solution that (1) uses Cyclopure’s DEXSORB® adsorbent to remove PFAS from water, (2) regenerates DEXSORB® to allow adsorbent reuse plus collection of the extracted waste into a neat solid, and (3) mechanochemically mineralizes PFAS into environmentally benign byproducts.
Cyclopure's PFAS destruction method that can be incorporated in a turnkey Treatment Train solution.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
Cyclopure has successfully developed a mechanochemical destruction method that mineralizes PFAS into non-toxic byproducts (i.e. fluoride). Two prototype treatment trains were performed in PFAS-spiked nanopure water and PFAS-spiked tap water, both of which show quantitative or near-quantitative PFAS destruction and fluoride recovery results. The results of this Phase I project lay out the thesis for a Phase II continuation project in which Cyclopure’s goal will be to scale up its technology to pilot scale and extend the complete treatment train to any water matrix, including groundwater, surface water, wastewater, and landfill leachate.
Conclusions:
In this Phase I work, Cyclopure has successfully developed a mechanochemical PFAS destruction method for a turnkey treatment train. The treatment train (1) uses Cyclopure’s DEXSORB® adsorbent to completely remove PFAS from contaminated waters, (2) regenerates DEXSORB® to allow adsorbent reuse, (3) concentrates the extracted PFAS waste into a neat solid, and (4) near-quantitatively mineralizes PFAS into environmentally benign byproducts. The excellent PFAS uptake and mineralization results of the full treatment train in a real water matrix (tap water) and in a real pilot design (column flow with appropriate EBCT and adsorbent particle size) reflect the high robustness of all individual components of this method. The developed technology translates into major cost and lifecycle benefits at large scale, providing water suppliers with a comprehensive and sustainable solution to both remove and destroy PFAS. This, in turn, allows water suppliers to keep their water sources online, available, and affordable for households. Cyclopure’s PFAS treatment train exhibits great promise in not only ending future PFAS recontamination, but also minimizing costs and liabilities associated with PFAS disposal.
Cyclopure’s commercial implementation of the developed technology does not require greenfield development of infrastructure. DEXSORB® is compatible with PFAS remediation in transportable treatment vessels, which when exhausted, can be conveniently moved to an off-site location for adsorbent regeneration and PFAS destruction. Cyclopure has in-house ball-milling capabilities to destroy up to 250 grams of PFAS in a single experimental run, which is equivalent to the amount of PFAS that is extracted from DEXSORB® after treatment of 2 billion liters (529 million gallons) of water with environmentally relevant PFAS contamination. This efficiency and associated small footprint enable Cyclopure to have multiple adsorbent regeneration and PFAS destruction facilities across the country at a low cost of investment. During this Phase I project, Foresight Science & Technology was Cyclopure’s Technical and Business Assistance (TABA) support vendor, who performed interviews with potential end users for the developed PFAS treatment train process. Foresight’s report to Cyclopure includes information on the competitive market size, drivers, and barriers, as well as insight into the needs and requirements of possible end users. This report confirmed the significant market potential for Cyclopure’s PFAS Treatment Train and its associated small PFAS treatment and destruction footprint.
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.