SBIR/STTR Award attributes
CycloPure is developing novelhigh affinity cyclodextrin polymers for the cost effective remediation of hazardous perand polyfluoroalkyl substancesPFASsfrom waterDecades of use of perfluorinated chemicals in manufacturingplasticsTeflonScotchgardand in aqueous film forming foam formulations used at airports and military bases has led to widespread prevalence in water resourcesaffecting water supplies serving at leastmillion customersToxic at low concentrationwith confirmed links to a number of serious illnessesincluding thyroid disease and several cancersPFAS contamination of drinking water represents a significant public health concernIn response to water supply closures across the Northeast during the pastmonthsthe U SEnvironmental Protection Agency recently lowered its health advisory level for perfluorooctanoic acidPFOAand perfluorooctane sulfonatePFOSfromppt toppta six fold decreaseSeparatelynumerous States have adopted or are considering significantly lower health advisory levelsincluding Pennsylvania atpptAlthough many technologies have been explored for remediation of PFOAand PFOS contaminated wateradsorption based methods using activated carbon remain the most widely used approachHoweveractivated carbon has notable shortcomings including susceptibility to fouling by natural organic matterenergy intensive regeneration processand most importantly low affinities which result in the need for significantly large amounts of material to achieve desired levels of removalDesigning adsorbents that address these deficiencies is critical in the development of efficient and cost effective processes in the remediation of PFOA and PFOSLeveraging the flexibility of its cyclodextrin based technology platformCycloPure s ongoing research efforts on PFAS removal are focused on developing bio derived polymer adsorbents with high affinities for PFOA and PFOS in water to provide a superior remediation solutionThe long term goal of this project is to act on these strengths and develop a commercially viable process for the remediation of PFOAand PFOS contaminated water resourcesThe objective for Phase I is the development and screening of new polymer derivatives with high affinity for PFOA and PFOS that can be cost effectively produced in large scaleThis Phase I study is structured around three Specific Aimsoptimization of reaction parameters to develop a scalable polymerization processdevelopment of new polymers by tailoring the chemical nature of cyclodextrins and crosslinkersandcharacterization of adsorption parameters of these polymers for PFOA and PFOSThese research aims will produce the most technically superior polymer formulation sfor PFOA PFOS remediationand provide the basis for their further development and testing under a Phase II proposalCycloPure s PFAS remediation technology has the potential to outperform conventional treatment processes and provide effective solutions for impacted communities to access clean and safe water Project Narrative The contamination of water resources by highly toxic perand polyfluorinated alkyl substancessuch as perfluorooctanoic acidPFOAand perfluorooctane sulfonatePFOSand their resulting ingestion by humans from drinking waterposes significant health risksGiven the known toxicity and pervasiveness of these chemicalsthe development of selectivehighly efficientand costeffective remediation technologies is critical for eliminating these substances from waterCycloPure is developing novel and sustainable polymer adsorbents with high affinities for PFOA and PFOS in water that will lead to a more efficient and cost effective remediation technology compared to current treatment methods
