SERDP FY 2024 New Start Projects

 Environmental Restoration (ER) Program Area

The objective of this Statement of Need (SON) was to develop an improved understanding of the self-assembly behavior of PFAS in the subsurface at AFFF-impacted sites. Specifically, the research areas of interest included:

• Characterize the type and magnitude of supramolecular systems that potentially develop on or within environmentally-relevant media from legacy AFFF-relevant PFAS.
• Evaluate the chemical and physical properties of these supramolecular systems as they pertain to their stability within the environment.
• Evaluate relevant environmental factors that affect the formation and stability of supramolecular systems within source zones such as PFAS concentration, soil chemical/physical properties, etc.
• Assess the impact of supramolecular systems within source zones on the long-term mass discharge potential to groundwater as well as any remedial implications.

The projects listed below were selected to address the objectives of this SON. Additional information on individual projects can be found by clicking the project title.

• Self-Assembly of PFAS Mixtures in the Presence of Inorganic Ions and Hydrocarbon Surfactants During Wetting and Drying
  • Lead Investigator: Carlos Martinez, Purdue University
• Mechanistic Investigation of Assembly and Stability of Supramolecular Forms of PFAS on Environmentally Relevant Surfaces and Development of Surface Analytical Protocols
  • Lead Investigator: Ian Ross, CDM Smith

Quantifying the extent and long-term effect of supramolecular systems is critical to the long-term management of AFFF-impacted sites. Knowledge of the role supramolecular systems within source zones play in terms of regulating long-term groundwater impacts may dramatically improve risk assessment and site management decisions.