Researchers at Rice University’s George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing, have received a $1.4 million grant from the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), an installation innovation program of the Department of Defense (DoD), to further develop a new water treatment technology for practical use.
The project builds on a 2020 scientific discovery by a Rice research team led by Michael Wong, Tina and Sunit Patel Professor in Molecular Nanotechnology, director of the Rice PFAS Alternatives and Remediation Center, and professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Rice,. The technology uses light-activated boron nitride to remove toxic PFAS (per and polyfluoro alkyl substances), also known as ‘forever’ chemicals, from water.
Often referred to as ‘forever chemicals’ because they do not readily degrade, PFAS are a large family of more than 15,000 compounds used in products such as nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing or packaging, and industrial equipment. These compounds are now widespread in the environment and the human body and have been linked to developmental, reproductive, immune, and liver problems in both newborns and adults.
Current approaches to remove PFAS require large amounts of energy, involve other harmful chemicals, or are difficult to scale for widespread use. As concern over PFAS contamination grows, experts estimate the PFAS remediation market will be over $80 billion in the coming years, underscoring the growing demand for viable and sustainable treatment technologies.
Recognizing the real-world potential of the chemical-free, sustainable method developed at Rice involving light-activated boron nitride to destroy PFAS mixtures from drinking water sources and waste streams, the DoD in coordination with the Department Of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), awarded Wong and his team this three-year grant. The funding will support efforts to streamline the technology and identify the most practical use-case scenarios.
Led by Wong, the research team includes Pedro Alvarez, George R. Brown Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and director of the Rice WaTER Institute; Thomas Senftle, William Marsh Rice Trustee Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and a member of Rice’s Ken Kennedy Institute; Welman Elias, research scientist at Rice; Youngkun Chung, postdoctoral fellow at the Rice Sustainability Institute, and Rula Deeb, senior principal at Geosyntec Consultants, an international engineering and consulting firm.
“By combining my team’s extensive experience in catalyst design with the expertise of my Rice colleagues, industry partners, and DoD stakeholders, we hope to build on these promising findings and develop this technology into a viable, practical solution to treat PFAS-impacted water,” Wong said. “This project will help streamline operations, identify the best scenarios and sites to conduct pilot programs, and generate crucial data needed for full-scale implementation. It also complements the exciting research efforts underway at Rice to advance PFAS treatment and safer alternatives."