Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also commonly known as perfluorinated compounds, are a large family ofman-made, globally distributed chemicals that have been used for decades. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) andperfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) are the most common PFAS, but thousands of other derivatives exist. PFAS have beenwidely used in consumer products such as non-stick cookware (Teflon®), carpets and carpet treatment products(Scotchgard®), food packaging, aqueous firefighting foams, hydraulic aviation fuels and in the aerospace, automotive, construction, and electronics industries. PFAS are emerging environmental pollutants in groundwater, and they are attractingsignificant attention due to their global distribution, persistence, toxicity and tendency to bio-accumulate. PFAScontamination has been found in more than 1400 locations in 49 states and the EPA estimates that the drinking water ofmore than 110 million Americans may already be contaminated. Once released into the environment, they are not easilybroken down by air, water, or sunlight. Thus, people can be exposed to PFAS that were manufactured months or years inthe past. PFAS can travel long distances in the air and water, exposing people to PFAS manufactured or emitted fromfacilities many miles away. Human exposure can also occur through contact with products containing PFAS. In 2016, EPAestablished a lifetime health advisory (LHA) level of 70 parts per trillion (ppt) for individual or combined concentrations ofPFAS in drinking water and many states are establishing even lower levels. Epidemiological studies have shown that theoccurrence of PFAS in humans is probably linked to a high incidence of thyroid disease, high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, kidney cancer, testicular cancer, and pregnancy-induced hypertension. Current water treatment technologies that can meetthe EPA targets are not cost effective, especially for in-home use, necessitating a need for technology/advanced materialsto cleanup drinking water that are efficient, cost effective and can meet the EPA target of 70 ppt or lower. TDA Research, Inc (TDA) proposes to develop an adsorption-based system for removing PFAS from drinkingwater down to EPA prescribed limits of 70 ppt (parts per trillion) or lower. The key to such a system is a low cost, highcapacity adsorbent with fast kinetics to remove PFAS. TDA's sorbent uses a mesoporous carbon structure grafted withLewis base functionalized groups to remove PFAS via physical adsorption. The mesopores provides very fast adsorptionkinetics and accessibility to the functionalized adsorption sites. The strength of the Lewis acid-base interaction can be tunedto allow the sorbent to be effective even in the presence of the multiple contaminants found in drinking water. The fastadsorption and high PFAS capacity of the sorbent will reduce the system size and enable their use in smaller home-basedsystems.
Public Health Relevance Statement: Project Narrative
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are emerging environmental pollutants in drinking and groundwater
and the EPA estimates that the drinking water of more than 110 million Americans may already be contaminated with
PFAS. Epidemiological studies have shown that the occurrence of PFAS in humans is probably linked to a high incidence
of thyroid disease, high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, kidney cancer, testicular cancer, and pregnancy-induced hypertension.
TDA Research, Inc (TDA) proposes to develop an adsorption-based system for removing PFAS from drinking water down
to EPA prescribed limits of 70 ppt (parts per trillion) or lower.
Project Terms: Acids ; Adsorption ; Air ; Anions ; Attention ; Aviation ; Carbohydrates ; Carbon ; Carbonates ; Carpet ; Chemistry ; Chlorides ; Cholesterol ; Ulcerative Colitis ; Ulcerated Colitis ; Economics ; Electronics ; electronic device ; Environment ; Environmental Pollutants ; Family ; Filtration ; Filtration Fractionation ; Government ; Health ; Human ; Modern Man ; Incidence ; Industry ; Kinetics ; Persons ; Nitrates ; NO3- ; nitrate ; Nitrogen ; Research ; Safety ; Spectrum Analysis ; Spectroscopy ; Spectrum Analyses ; Sunlight ; sun light ; Technology ; Testing ; Thyroid Diseases ; Thyroid Gland Disease ; Thyroid Gland Disorder ; thyroid disorder ; Travel ; Water ; Hydrogen Oxide ; Water Supply ; Work ; Roentgen Rays ; X-Radiation ; X-Ray Radiation ; X-ray ; Xray ; economic evaluation ; economic analysis ; Malignant neoplasm of testis ; Malignant Testicular Neoplasm ; Malignant Testicular Tumor ; Malignant Tumor of the Testis ; Testicular Cancer ; Testis Cancer ; base ; improved ; Site ; Area ; Surface ; Phase ; Link ; Chemicals ; Evaluation ; Individual ; Water Purification ; Funding ; Food Packaging ; Exposure to ; Life ; System ; Location ; Sulfate ; Gestational Hypertension ; Hypertension induced by pregnancy ; Hypertension-Associated Pregnancy Disorder ; Pregnancy Associated Hypertension ; hypertensive disease of pregnancy ; pregnancy hypertension ; American ; consumer product ; groundwater ; ground water ; water treatment ; functional group ; drinking water ; aqueous ; Toxicities ; Toxic effect ; Structure ; drinking ; Teflon ; Epidemiologic Research ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Epidemiological Studies ; Epidemiology Research ; epidemiologic investigation ; epidemiology study ; Reporting ; Abscission ; Extirpation ; Removal ; Surgical Removal ; resection ; Excision ; perfluorooctane sulfonate ; Kidney Cancer ; Kidney Carcinoma ; Renal Cancer ; Renal carcinoma ; Small Business Innovation Research Grant ; SBIR ; Small Business Innovation Research ; Preparation ; Process ; cost ; design ; designing ; cost effective ; man ; man's ; exposed human population ; human exposure ; perfluorooctanoic acid ; perfluorooctanoate ; Home ;
