Hybrid Multilayer Membranes for Remediation of Perfluoro substances

Perfluorooctanoic acids (PFOAs) are chemicals used in many products because they repel water and oil. They can be found in non-stick cookware, water-resistant clothes, stain-resistant carpets, firefighting foam, and even some food packaging. These chemicals don’t break down easily in the environment or inside our bodies, so they are called “forever chemicals.” Over time, they can build up in drinking water and organs like the liver and kidneys, which has raised concerns about possible health risks.

This project focuses on finding a way to remove PFOA from water using a safe and low-energy method. It combines the natural ability of enzymes, which help break down substances, with special membranes that can separate PFOA and its breakdown products, all while keeping clean water flowing easily. The project will train students and teachers at graduate, undergraduate, and K-12 levels.

They’ll learn about creating materials for membranes, enzyme reactions, and using advanced techniques to study these processes. The goal is to help the public understand important environmental issues and expand the science and engineering workforce through educational programs in schools and outreach activities.

The proposed work describes the formation and testing of an environmentally benign hybrid membrane platform which facilitates the degradation of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in addition to the removal of its degradation by-products and residual PFOA to thus produce clean drinking water. The approach is based on immobilizing a natural biocatalyst, Laccase, onto a polyelectrolyte membrane developed in lab settings using various surface-anchoring techniques.

Pore size, porosity and other morphological properties of the underlying membrane will be tailored to serve the dual purpose of both providing a sustainable platform for enzyme immobilization and resulting degradation abilities, as well as to reject the by-products of such PFOA degradation. Toxicity analysis of the degradation by-products via a metabolism assay technique will be implemented to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach to be used for eliminating potential deleterious health effects.

To advance understanding and thus ensure project transferability and sustainability in real settings and for other fluorochemicals, the synergistic kinetics of the membrane separation and the specificity, efficiency and operational stability of the enzymatic breakdown processes will also be evaluated. The research component of this work will be complemented by educational, mentoring and outreach activities to contribute to the development of the next generation workforce capable to understand both the implications of water contamination processes, how they can result in environmental and human health effects, as well as capable to develop and implement next generation technologies for low energy, benign decontamination.

This project is jointly funded by the Process Systems, Reaction Engineering and Molecular Thermodynamics (PRM) program, and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

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.