A Novel, Nanostructured, Metal-Organic Frameworks-Based Pretreatment Technology for the Remediation of PFAS in Industrial Wastewater

Per- and polyflouralkyl substances, otherwise known as PFAS, are a large group of chemicals including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). These chemicals have a large variety of uses globally. Remediation of PFAS has gained importance due to their environmental persistence and toxicity. Water treatment methods must combine multiple strategies to be effective, as PFAS are commonly found in complex mixtures in the environment. To address the growing environmental concerns around persistent PFAS contamination, novel remediation methods, combining the strengths of multiple strategies, are needed urgently. In the proposed activity, framergy, Inc., in collaboration with Texas A&M University (TAMU), will develop a novel water pretreatment system which combines the use of a cutting-edge nanostructured sorbent for effective removal of PFAS by leveraging its highly selective adsorption and easily activated photocatalytic properties. At the heart of the technology is its innovative, chemically stable, Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) which can be tailored for selective PFAS and PFOS capture, and breakdown under UV or sunlight. This novel solution brings the advantages of MOFs' high PFAS adsorption capacity and visible-light photocatalytic remediation. It eliminates the frequent changeout of leading adsorbent alternatives and reaction retention time limitations of conventional chemical reduction technologies