The primary goal of this demonstration is to validate the effectiveness, cost-efficiency, and environmental safety of a photocatalytic technology for the destruction of legacy aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) concentrates containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). To achieve this, several critical objectives will be addressed via a comprehensive assessment framework that includes robust chemical analyses and data collection. The comprehensive evaluation framework will provide validated solutions to eliminate stockpiled AFFF containing PFAS.

Efficiency of degradation of targeted and non-targeted PFAS will be assessed, focusing on the magnitude and percentage of degradation and the final concentrations of these compounds in the treated effluent. This includes determining the percentage of carbon-fluorine (C-F) bonds destroyed by using non-target quantitative analyses to gauge the residual concentration of C-F bonds in the treated effluent, measuring total influent fluorine and effluent fluoride concentrations.

The evaluation will also address the potential loss of PFAS to the environment, whether through gaseous, liquid, or solid phases by identifying products of incomplete destruction (PIDs) via OTM-45, OTM-50 and anticipated OTM-55. The selected technology will process a common, well characterized, AFFF blend (containing both legacy C-8 and fluorotelomer components) under two different processing conditions (extended treatment to attain <MCL final effluent and effluent with concentrations that can be further processed using media) to enable a cost benefit analysis associated with treatment rigor. Analysis will also include a detailed cost assessment for each technology, covering both the operational costs as well as the cost of mobilization/demobilization of the technology.

Finally, the ratio of energy consumption to the volume of AFFF treated and the energy required to destroy the mass of PFAS will be calculated for each technology to determine their overall energy efficiency. These objectives are designed to provide a comprehensive and comparable evaluation of the technologies’ capabilities, costs, and environmental impacts, guiding the selection of effective methods for PFAS destruction.

By validating photocatalytic technology for PFAS destruction in AFFF concentrates, this work addresses an urgent challenge that impacts military readiness, regulatory compliance, and fiscal responsibility. The project's outcomes will enable informed decision-making on implementing cost-effective, energy-efficient technologies for PFAS destruction. (Anticipated Project Completion - 2027)