SERDP FY 2024 New Start Projects

 Environmental Restoration (ER) Program Area

The objective of this Statement of Need (SON) was to develop an improved understanding of the self-assembly behavior of PFAS in the subsurface at AFFF-impacted sites. Specifically, the research areas of interest included:

• Characterize the type and magnitude of supramolecular systems that potentially develop on or within environmentally-relevant media from legacy AFFF-relevant PFAS.
• Evaluate the chemical and physical properties of these supramolecular systems as they pertain to their stability within the environment.
• Evaluate relevant environmental factors that affect the formation and stability of supramolecular systems within source zones such as PFAS concentration, soil chemical/physical properties, etc.
• Assess the impact of supramolecular systems within source zones on the long-term mass discharge potential to groundwater as well as any remedial implications.

The projects to be funded will be identified by the Fall 2023.

Quantifying the extent and long-term effect of supramolecular systems is critical to the long-term management of AFFF-impacted sites. Knowledge of the role supramolecular systems within source zones play in terms of regulating long-term groundwater impacts may dramatically improve risk assessment and site management decisions.