SBIR Phase II: Scaling and Tailoring the Destruction of Emerging Contaminants with the Plasma Water Reactor

The broader/commercial impacts of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project are the promotion of water equity and environmental stewardship. Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), threaten the natural resources of the United States. Separation is the current state-of-practice for PFAS management, but this produces hazardous waste where disposal is costly and introduces long-term liabilities. Plasma is a promising technology, but it struggles to scale. This project investigates in the field an innovative geometric design that enhances plasma ignition and propagation while minimizing energy consumption. Field deployment will positively impact the environment due to water reclamation, waste elimination, and carbon and energy footprint reduction. This project encourages multidisciplinary collaborations and explores equity-oriented business models, such as buy-one-donate-one and pay-it-forward, that attempt to safeguard those who are most vulnerable to resource insecurity. These models use water as a dual-purpose resource that couples the success of customers with the welfare and socioeconomic mobility of disadvantaged communities. Purafide is also collaborating with LaGuardia Community College’s environmental science program to develop a diverse, multidisciplinary workforce. Overall, this project will strengthen the security, stability, and sustainability of water. The project will pilot a plasma-based treatment technology at a remediation site and a state-maintained landfill, which was identified as high-priority sites by the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team. These are challenging matrices but also where the plasma reactor has successfully eliminated CECs in the past. The innovative geometric approach maximizes the plasma-water interface and enables scaling to commercially relevant flow rates. The success criteria for the pilots will be achieving PFAS levels below the Michigan Maximum allowable PFAS Levels with an effective flow rate of about five gal/min for 1+ (>90%) log reduction. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) will serve as indicator compounds due to their prevalence and the strict standards proposed under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Purafide will design, manufacture, deploy, and parametrically assess the technology in the field. Purafide will also develop in-house analytical capabilities, such as Draft EPA Method 1633, and a technoeconomic model in an attempt to reduce and predict costs, respectively. Assuming the technical objective is accomplished, the technology readiness level will significantly increase, suggesting the minimum viable product will be ready for the full scale. 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.