Destruction of forever chemicals in water using chemical-free water treatment system

Introduction

To date, more than 150,000 sites have been identified across Europe and the US contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as forever chemicals due to their extreme persistency in our environment and bodies.

Health Risks

Exposure to PFAS is associated with multiple health risks, such as:

• Thyroid disease
• Infertility
• Cancer
• Immunotoxicity

Regulatory and Technological Challenges

There is an increasing regulatory and social pressure to address PFAS pollution in water. At the same time, there is a pronounced lack of technologies that can degrade PFAS in water in a sustainable manner.

Project Overview

The FOREVER-WATER project aims to provide a solution to this major challenge by:

1. Development and on-site validation of graphene-enabled electrochemical treatment systems.
2. Building upon the achievements made by ICRA on the development and application of graphene sponge electrodes for PFAS destruction in water.
3. Relying on the expertise of IKTS to improve material synthesis scalability and current distribution by developing silicon carbide templates tailored for electrode production.

Pilot Scale Units

System-integrated pilot scale units will be validated on-site with the help of industrial and technological partners in different test beds for the treatment of PFAS-contaminated water of varying characteristics, including:

• Groundwater
• Landfill leachate
• Industrial, PFAS-laden semiconductor wastewater

Continuous Assessment

FOREVER-WATER will also include:

• Continuous techno-economic assessment
• Life cycle assessment
• Benchmarking against commercially available technologies

Business Plan and Market Analysis

An end-user validated business plan and market analysis will lay the groundwork for the creation of a spin-off company.

Technology Validation

Technology validation and demonstration of its robustness, efficiency, and adequacy for the intended applications will enable the translation of the research into innovation and commercialization of graphene-enabled electrochemical water treatment systems as a solution for water pollution by forever chemicals.