| | INNOVATIVE AND STABLE ELECTRODES FOR EFFICIENT PFAS REMOVAL USING NANOSTRUCTURED MATERIALS In partnership with University of North Dakota and United Tribes Technical College- Jiale Xu NDSU assistant professor of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering
Per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) are chemicals widely used in various industrial and commercial products, including food packaging, cosmetics, aqueous film-forming foams used in firefighting, and Teflon materials. PFAS are carcinogenic and toxic but have been found in groundwater and surface water, resulting in a serious risk to human health. Exposure to PFAS was linked to harm to unborn children, kidney cancer, liver disease, thyroid disease, and elevated cholesterol levels. Current traditional water treatment technologies fail to effectively and efficiently remove PFAS from contaminated water. This project aims to create a new material by modifying Ti4O7 electrochemical materials with carbon materials derived from agricultural waste, such as soybean hulls. The goal is to use this material to remove harmful PFAS chemicals from landfill leachates. The project offers four key benefits: (1) repurposing soybean waste to create a useful product, (2) improving water and environmental quality by addressing PFAS contamination, (3) offering a cost-effective and efficient solution for PFAS removal, and (4) providing new economic opportunities for farmers, chemists, and engineers, with the potential to apply this technology nationwide.
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