SBIR-STTR Award

Per- and polyflouralkyl substances, otherwise known as PFAS, are a large group of chemicals including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). These chemicals have a large variety of uses globally. Remediation of PFAS has gained importance due to their environmental persistence and toxicity. Water treatment methods must combine multiple strategies to be effective, as PFAS are commonly found in complex mixtures in the environment. To address the growing environmental concerns around persistent PFAS contamination, novel remediation methods, combining the strengths of multiple strategies, are needed urgently. In the proposed activity, framergy, Inc., in collaboration with Texas A&M University (TAMU), will develop a novel water pretreatment system which combines the use of a cutting-edge nanostructured sorbent for effective removal of PFAS by leveraging its highly selective adsorption and easily activated photocatalytic properties. At the heart of the technology is its innovative, chemically stable, Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) which can be tailored for selective PFAS and PFOS capture, and breakdown under UV or sunlight. This novel solution brings the advantages of MOFs' high PFAS adsorption capacity and visible-light photocatalytic remediation. It eliminates the frequent changeout of leading adsorbent alternatives and reaction retention time limitations of conventional chemical reduction technologies

Around the world communities are discovering that Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances or PFAS are commonly found in the environment. Scientific studies have linked exposure to PFAS to various adverse health effects, including altered metabolism, infertility, reduced fetal growth, disruption of hormonal and immune systems. There are several ways people can be exposed to PFAS including ingesting contaminated food or water. PFAS are very persistent; meaning that they can accumulate and remain in the human body and in the environment for long periods of time. With concerns rising quickly about the risks associated to PFAS exposure, it is important to ensure proper remediation technologies are developed, especially for contaminated water.To address this need, framergy successfully demonstrated the feasibility of a novel water treatment technology that can not only photocatalytically breakdown PFAS into less bio-accumulative shorter chains but also mineralize them. This technology utilizes a leading-edge, nanostructured sorbent for the effective removal of PFAS by leveraging its highly selective adsorption and photocatalytic properties.At the heart of this technology are framergy’s innovative, chemically stable, Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) which can be tailored for PFAS capture and breakdown under UV or sunlight. The Phase I results showed that the photodegradation byproducts were held inside the MOFs during their photocatalytic breakdown. Following the degradation tests, the analysis of the water samples extracted from the MOFs showed several-fold increase in fluoride ion concentration proving the successful mineralization of PFAS. In summary, during the Phase I period, framergy has demonstrated the feasibility of using MOFs to photocatalytically remove PFAS from water, without releasing any degradation byproducts into the water but rather retaining these cleaved fragments for further, sustained mineralization. In the proposed Phase II activity, framergy, Inc. will further the development of its novel water treatment technology with the ultimate goal to implement at industrial wastewater pre-/post-treatment facilities. The proposed work in this application has two objectives: The first is to continue the R&D initiated under Phase I, and take it at least through full-scale testing. The second is to work with partners, investors, and customers to fully commercializing the novel PFAS remediation technology and obtain widespread utilization for the treatment of industrial wastewater. Critical encumbrances to commercialization, including performance, material supply and piloting, will be nullified during the performance of the Phase II effort. In consideration of the in-place manufacturing and product partnerships, framergy is well placed to bring this solution to market scale