Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this phase i sbir project aims to…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this phase i sbir project aims to demonstrate the technical feasibility towards commercializing an innovative photochemical water treatment technology to destruct PFAS from groundwater and recycled wastewater for water reuse in agricultural irrigation. IT is estimated that water reuse in agriculture will increase multifold the next decade. The project addresses pressing global contamination risks of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food chain - also known as forever chemicals - in irrigation water resources through a novel tunable UV based PFAS destruction technology. The ability to completely destroy PFAS using UV light without generating secondary waste streams or toxic byproducts for agricultural irrigation water treatment will facilitate new, commercially viable ways to mitigate PFAS and enable cost-effective water reuse of nontraditional water resources for crop production. New technology commercialization integrating these novel concepts will establish feasibility and inform future irrigation water treatment. Current and emerging PFAS removal technologies from water have significant drawbacks in byproduct generation and require harsh operating conditions. This new technology is advantageous to existing ones for agricultural irrigation water applications. The project directly addresses the USDA sbir program area priorities relating to water quantity and quality, and conservation of natural resources. IT will improve agriculture sustainability and agro-urban ecosystem health by developing an innovative PFAS and trace organics treatment for non-traditional water irrigation.