FY 2014 STATEMENT OF NEED

Environmental Restoration (ER) Program Area

The overall objective of this Statement of Need (SON) was to seek applied research to develop cost effective in situ remedial alternatives for perfluoroalkyl impacted groundwater. Proposers were asked to focus on the following objectives:

• Develop cost effective, in situ remedial approaches for treating perfluoroalkyl impacted groundwater.
• Assess the impact of common co-occurring chemicals on the remedial process given that these compounds were commonly utilized at sites impacted with petroleum hydrocarbons and possibly chlorinated solvents (e.g., historical fire training sites).
• Determine the necessity for treatment train approaches to facilitate treatment of co-occurring chemicals.

The projects listed below were selected to address the objectives of this SON. Additional information on individual projects can be found by clicking the project title.

• Bioaugmentation with Vaults: Novel In Situ Remediation Strategy for Transformation of Perfluoroalkyl Compounds
  • Lead Investigator: Shaily Mahendra, University of California, Los Angeles
• In Situ Treatment Train for Remediation of Perfluoroalkyl Impacted Groundwater: In Situ Chemical Oxidation of Sorbed Chemicals (ISCO-SC)
  • Lead Investigator: Michelle Crimi, Clarkson University
• Investigating Electrocatalytic and Catalytic Approaches for In Situ Treatment of Perfluoroalkyl Chemicals in Groundwater
  • Lead Investigator: Charles Schaefer, CDM Smith
• Development of a Novel Approach for In Situ Remediation of PFC Impacted Groundwater Systems
  • Lead Investigator: Matt Simcik, University of Minnesota
• Quantification of In Situ Chemical Reductive Defluorination (ISCRD) of Perfluoroalkyl Acids in Ground Water Impacted by AFFFs
  • Lead Investigator: Linda Lee, Purdue University

Research should lead to developing technologies for treatment of perfluoroalkyl sulfonates and perfluoroalkyl carboxylates in groundwater that will help facilitate the establishment of more cost effective and efficient remedial action plans that are protective of human health and the environment. The remediation approaches that will be developed through this SON will improve the reliability of chemical treatment processes and expedite the cleanup and closure of impacted Department of Defense (DoD) sites.