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Abstracts 

“Leaching, Thermal Treatment, and Reuse of Pavements Impacted with PFAS” by Dr. Kyle Doudrick (ER23-3696)

This presentation will discuss recent work focused on the comprehensive management of PFAS-impacted pavements. Specifically, the presentation will feature insights from experimental and modeling results of leaching experiments and overall implications for low-temperature thermal treatment of pavement and its reuse following treatment. For thermal treatment, the project team investigated PFAS degradation across a range of temperatures (400-1000 °C) and residence times. The results showed that the natural or added presence of calcium hydroxide enabled greater than >95% PFAS mineralization and >99.99% destruction and removal efficiency (DRE) at 500 °C in under 5 minutes. In parallel, the project studied the leaching behavior of PFAS from pavements. Leaching was found to be extremely slow, governed by very low non-Fickian diffusivities. Finally, the project examined the potential for reusing thermally treated aggregates. While high-temperature treatment can degrade certain material properties, results suggest that treated materials could be selectively reused under appropriate conditions. Together, these findings support a multifaceted approach to managing PFAS-impacted pavements, balancing effective remediation, environmental protection, and material reuse.

“PFAS Transport in AFFF-Impacted Concrete Materials” by Dr. Moe Pourghaz (ER23-3683)

AFFF-impacted materials represent an increasing environmental and management challenge for the Department of War due to the potential for PFAS to leach into stormwater and surrounding environments. This project investigates the mechanisms governing PFAS transport, interaction, and transformation in Portland cement concrete (PCC) and asphalt concrete (AC) to determine whether these materials serve as long-term sources of PFAS release. The research combines laboratory experiments and field studies to characterize PFAS distribution in impacted materials; quantify sorption, desorption, and transport processes under saturated and unsaturated conditions; and evaluate PFAS release through surface runoff under field-relevant conditions. Experimental results were used to develop practical transport models capable of translating standardized leaching test data into field-scale predictions for intact, damaged, and recycled materials. The outcomes of this work will provide the DoW with practical tools to assess PFAS fate and mass discharge potential from construction materials, enabling more cost-effective and risk-informed management decisions.

Speaker Biographies

Dr. Kyle Doudrick is an Associate Professor at the University of Notre Dame. Kyle’s research group focuses on the development of physical-chemical treatment technologies for emerging contaminants, such as catalytic, adsorptive, thermal, photochemical, and electrochemical processes. His research group also seeks to better understand the occurrence and fate of emerging contaminants in the natural and built environments by developing new measurement techniques. Kyle is a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award and served as a Fulbright Scholar in France (CNRS Laboratoire Réactions et Génie des Procédés). He received his doctoral degree in environmental engineering from Arizona State University.

Dr. Moe Pourghaz is a Professor of Structural Engineering and Mechanics at North Carolina State University. His research focuses on understanding, modeling, and manipulating physical, chemical, and electrochemical processes in cementitious materials, particularly those involving reactive mass transport. His work integrates laboratory experimentation, field studies, and modeling. Moe earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Tabriz (Iran), his master’s degree in civil engineering from Carleton University (Canada) and his doctoral degree in civil engineering, with a focus on concrete materials, from Purdue University.