Project description
Novel water treatment against 'forever chemicals'
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals widely used in a wide range of consumer and industry products like non-stick cookware, waterproof textiles and microchip manufacturing, among many others. PFAS are also known as ‘forever chemicals’ as they persist in the environment, leading to widespread water contamination and posing serious health risks. Current technologies fail to degrade PFAS in a sustainable way. The EIC-funded FOREVER-WATER project addresses this problem by developing graphene-based electrochemical systems to break down PFAS in water. Researchers aim to test these systems in real-world conditions to purify groundwater, complex landfill leachate and semiconductor wastewater. They will combine material innovation and pilot-scale validation to commercialise an effective, scalable solution to PFAS pollution.
Objective
To date, more than 150,000 sites have been identified across Europe and US contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as forever chemicals due to their extreme persistency in our environment and bodies. Exposure to PFAS is associated with multiple health risks, such as thyroid disease, infertility, cancer, and immunotoxicity. There is an increasing regulatory and social pressure to address PFAS pollution in water, and at the same time, pronounced lack of technologies that can degrade PFAS in water in a sustainable manner. FOREVER-WATER project aims to provide a solution to this major challenge by development and on-site validation of graphene-enabled electrochemical treatment systems. It builds upon the achievements made by ICRA on the development and application of graphene sponge electrodes for PFAS destruction in water. Furthermore, it relies on the expertise of IKTS to improve the material synthesis scalability and current distribution by developing silicon carbide templates tailored for the electrode production. 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, from groundwater to more challenging streams such as landfill leachate and industrial, PFAS-laden semiconductor wastewater. FOREVER-WATER will also include continuous techno-economic assessment, life cycle assessment, and benchmarking against commercially available technologies. End user validated business plan and market analysis will lay the groundwork for the creation of a spin-off company. Technology validation and demonstration of its robustness, efficiency and adequacy for the intended applications will enable translation of the research into innovation and commercialization of graphene-enabled electrochemical water treatment systems as a solution for water pollution by forever chemicals.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering water treatment processes wastewater treatment processes
- engineering and technology nanotechnology nano-materials two-dimensional nanostructures graphene
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry inorganic compounds
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences environmental sciences pollution
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry metalloids
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIC-2024-TRANSITION-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
17003 Girona
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.