I-Corps: Water Treatment with Boron Nitride Materials

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of water treatment technologies. Per/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of persistent man-made chemicals, have a widespread presence in water resources, including drinking water. Tiny amounts of PFAS in drinking water are considered toxic and can bioaccumulate in humans and wildlife. PFAS has been linked to developmental and reproductive problems, liver damage, and cancer. PFAS is currently unregulated at the Federal level in the U.S., but PFAS regulations in drinking water, groundwater, and industrial wastewater will be implemented by the U.S EPA before 2024. Driven by the implementation of regulations and the ineffectiveness of current water treatment technologies, this project will explore new systems for affected industries. Unlike conventional water purification technologies, which produce waste streams, this technology has no toxic byproducts. While there are current commercialized technologies to remove PFAS with adsorbents or reverse osmosis, these do not destroy PFAS and hence create PFAS-contaminated waste streams. The extant commercialized technologies which destroy PFAS, including incineration and electro-oxidation, are energy-intensive and expensive. This I-Corps project is based on the development of technology based on boron nitride-based photocatalysts. Parts per quadrillion levels of PFAS in drinking water are considered toxic and can bioaccumulate in humans and wildlife. The team seeks to develop technologies that can effectively remove PFAS to regulatory limits and also permanently destroy PFAS using only earth-abundant boron nitride-based materials, light, and ambient air. The system does not produce toxic waste streams and does not need incineration for regeneration, and thus is efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable. Non-toxic bicarbonate and fluoride ions are the only byproducts of the process. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.