Project Grant 2521374

This federal Project Grant award of $3,600,000 from the National Science Foundation's Integrative Activities program (CFDA 47.083) supports a collaborative research initiative to address the challenge of removing and converting per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) within a circular economy framework. Led by the University of Delaware, in partnership with several universities across Delaware, Alabama, and South Carolina, the project aims to build regional research capacity and infrastructure to enable PFAS mitigation. The key research goals are to: (i) advance PFAS adsorption and electrochemical separation across diverse water sources; (ii) uncover mechanisms for selective electrochemical and plasma-assisted PFAS reduction; and (iii) design energy-efficient, modular PFAS defluorination technologies. The project will integrate expertise across materials science, separations, reaction engineering, electrochemistry, process systems, multiscale modeling, artificial intelligence, and social science to revolutionize defluorination technologies for water, air, and soil, with potential impacts on medical, agricultural, and industrial sectors. Education and outreach efforts will also train skilled educators, scientists, and engineers to tackle PFAS challenges and advance national health, prosperity, and economic growth.