Descrizione del progetto
Tecnologia scalabile per la distruzione sostenibile delle PFAS
Le sostanze per- e polifluoroalchiliche (PFAS), spesso definite «sostanze chimiche per sempre», hanno dimostrato un’eccezionale resistenza ai metodi avanzati di trattamento delle acque. Le sostanze di questo tipo, più di 9 000 quelle identificate, rappresentano un rischio significativo a causa del loro potenziale di bioaccumulo e di tossicità. Urgono quindi processi o tecnologie in grado di rompere i legami C-F che costituiscono le PFAS senza generare sottoprodotti tossici. Il progetto GRAPHEC, finanziato dal CER, si propone di affrontare questa sfida. Il progetto ha già compiuto progressi sviluppando anodi di spugna di grafene che utilizzano processi elettrochimici per abbattere le PFAS. Pur essendo in fase di ricerca e sviluppo, questa soluzione ha il potenziale per far progredire gli obiettivi del Green Deal europeo, in particolare per quanto riguarda l’eliminazione sostenibile delle PFAS.
Obiettivo
Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been used since the 1940s and are known as “forever chemicals” due to their extreme persistency to advanced (waste)water treatment strategies. Due to the strength of the C-F bond, each released molecule of PFAS remains in the environment. Today there are more than 9,000 known PFAS, majority of them being extremely resistant to any kind of degradation, and with high bioaccumulation potentials and toxicities.
Electrochemical processes can address the challenge of PFAS presence in water, provided that the anode material is low cost and can break the C-F bond without forming toxic byproducts. Graphene sponge anode developed by our team is the first material to fulfill both requirements. In this project, we will aim at upscaling the electrochemical treatment based on graphene sponge electrodes and testing its long-term performance in degrading PFAS from complex residual streams. This will enable us to answer key scientific and technical questions required for further technology adoption by the water industry, many of them related to the fundamental mechanisms of electrochemical C-F bond breakage and features of anodically polarized graphene. Based on the results achieved to date at lab-scale, GRAPHEC technology has a strong potential to evolve into a sustainable, chemical-free destruction technology for PFAS-laden wastewaters and achieve their complete destruction at ambient temperature and pressure, in modular units, with low capital and operational cost.
Finally, this project also aims at keeping the existing intellectual property and engaging early technology adopters in Europe and beyond to form a mature network of future clients and reach a technology readiness level (TRL) 6 at the end of the project. The project will deliver a new platform technology for the removal of toxic and persistent chemicals from water and is likely to play a key role in the EU´s Green Deal Agenda for securing a toxic-free environment.
Campo scientifico
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept GrantsIstituzione ospitante
17003 Girona
Spagna