SBIR-STTR Award

In addressing Topic 1C in this solicitation, “Innovative pretreatment technologies for PFAS in industrial wastewater”, this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a novel nanofiber mats fabricated by electrospun polymer nanofibers for the “smart” (selective) removal of perand polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from landfill leachate. The co-contaminants, low concentration, and complexity for PFAS in industrial wastewater are big hurdles for current technologies, this method will overcome the challenges and provide a unique approach for PFAS removal.The advantages of the nanofiber mats include: 1) A hybrid and synergistic PFAS removal with adsorption/membrane approach; 2) Smart and selective adsorption feature; 3) Capable of handling co-contaminants; 4) High loading flow rate; 5) Energy-efficient regenerable with PFAS recovery for further destruction. The polymer nanofiber mats will be fabricated by electrospinning, a versatile technique for manufacturing of nanofibers, and the morphologies, surface chemistries, special properties, and functions can be modified. The target of this project is to reduce the combined PFAS concentration to below 70 ppt for wastewater treatment market, which is growing 19% annually to $11 billion until 2025. The technology is cost-effective and compatible with other treatment processes.

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will perform some needed tests for commercialization of the highly PFAS-selective nanofiber mats fabricated from electrospun polymer nanofibers. The Phase I results have shown the proof of concept for two materials developed for the removal of PFOA and PFOS with over 91% efficiency at very high concentrations (ppm level) and 99% at low concentrations (ppt level). Since the co-contaminants in industrial wastewater are big hurdles for current PFAS treatment technologies, this project will test the materials in pilot plant scale with wastewater samples from landfill leachate.