Destruction of PFAS compounds in contaminated media

Problem statement

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a widely used group of chemicals that are known for their persistence in the environment. Overtime, they either remain unchanged or transform to persistent substances, leading to exposure and accumulation. These substances are an important component in aqueous film forming (AFFF) foams for fire suppression and are also found in a multitude of commercial and consumer products, including (but not limited to) cosmetics, non-stick cookware, and textiles. Due to their widespread use and their persistence, PFAS are found nearly everywhere in the environment, including in air, surface and groundwater, oceans, soils, wastewater, landfill leachate, and biosolids. Certain PFAS have been also widely detected in biomonitoring studies of humans and animals. Research has shown that well-studied PFAS can affect multiple organs including, liver, kidney, thyroid, immune, nervous and reproduction systems.

The persistence and mobility of PFAS make their contamination of surface water, groundwater, drinking water, sediment and soil a pressing concern.

In May 2023, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Health Canada published a Draft State of PFAS Report for public comment. An Updated Draft State of PFAS Report and Revised Risk Management Scope (Reference 1) was published in July 2024, also for a 60-day comment period. The updated draft report proposes that the class of PFAS, excluding fluoropolymers as defined in the Report, is proposed to meet the criteria under paragraphs 64(a) and (c) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), as these substances are entering or may enter the environment in a quantity or concentration or under conditions that have or may have immediate or long-term harmful effects on the environment or its biological diversity, and that constitute or may constitute a danger in Canada to human life or health or harm the environment.

The commercial market for PFAS detection, removal, and destruction technologies is rapidly evolving due to growing awareness of PFAS contamination and increasing regulation. The challenge lies in the difficulty and high cost of destroying PFAS even when they are successfully removed from the environment (e.g.  PFAS in spent filtration media as a result of remediating contaminated sites). Without intervention and appropriate management, the presence of PFAS in the environment will continue to rise, and will become increasingly challenging to mitigate.

The goal of this ISC challenge is to develop new technologies and approaches capable of destroying at least 99 percent of PFAS in various waste streams through defluorination of the perfluoroalkyl chain, without creating harmful by-products. In the case where derivatives are created, they must be controlled and destroyed before any release into the environment.

Desired outcomes and considerations

Essential (mandatory) outcomes

The proposed solution must:

1. Demonstrate efficacy for the destruction of at least 99 percent of PFAS in different media such as contaminated ground or wastewater, soil, biomass, biosolids, and spent contaminated filtration media.
2. Destroy (De-fluorinate and mineralize highly concentrated) both long-chain (≥ C8) and short-chain PFAS (< C8) compounds, as represented by the individual PFAS identified in Government of Canada (GoC)-recommended analytical methods, ensuring no formation of toxic derivatives (as defined under Section 64 in the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999) and complete breakdown to non-toxic by-products
3. Destroy PFAS in any contaminated filtration media utilized in the treatment process which may also contain co-contaminants.
4. Demonstrate how the proposed solution is scalable and more cost-effective than existing destruction methods, supported by a cost analysis to confirm its economic viability for large-scale implementation.
5. Have no negative impact on human health and be compliant with all applicable Canadian environmental regulations, criteria and standards for waste treatment and disposal.
6. Provide a risk assessment and mitigation strategy for any potential hazards associated with the technology/process adoption.
7. Define individual processes used in the design and demonstrate degradation efficiency, treatment time, and energy consumption.
8. Validate destruction and defluorination with analytical data and evidence from an independent accredited laboratory on
   1. ex-situ contaminated samples (Phase 1)
   2. in-situ contaminated pilot site (Phase 2)

Additional outcomes

The proposed solution should:

1. Provide a fluorine mass balance study and an analysis of the destruction pathway, experiment parameters, chemistry and by-products formation (in particular toxic by-products), formed during the application of the treatment approaches.
2. Provide a Life Cycle Inventory that catalogues energy, materials, and waste at each stage of the process.
3. Propose methods that can be integrated with existing waste management and treatment infrastructure.
4. Prioritize the use of Canadian-sourced materials and expertise where possible.
5. Be easily deployable in a reasonable timeframe.
6. Demonstrate adaptability to various environmental conditions and contamination levels, including the removal and destruction selectivity and potential interference from other chemicals or contaminants during the process.

Notes:

• The class of PFAS defined for this challenge is according to the OECD (2021) which is any fluorinated substances that contain at least one fully fluorinated methyl or methylene carbon atom (without any H/Cl/Br/I atom attached to it), i.e. with a few noted exceptions, any chemical with at least a perfluorinated methyl group (–CF₃) or a perfluorinated methylene group (–CF₂–).
• Long-chain (≥ C8) and short-chain PFAS (< C8) PFAS are defined in Reference 1.
• The Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality (Aug 2024, Reference 2) stipulates that the sum of 25 specified PFAS should not exceed 30 ng/L.
• The US EPA Method 1633 specifies 40 PFAS compounds (Reference 3) that should be considered for the destruction solution. For the purpose of this challenge, the solution must destroy at a minimum the following PFAS:
  1. PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate, its salts and precursors)
  2. PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid, which has the molecular formula C₇F₁₅CO₂H, its salts and precursors)
  3. LC-PFCAs (long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids that have the molecular formula CnF₂n+1CO₂H in which 8 ≤ n ≤ 20, their salts and their precursors)
  4. HFPO-DA (hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid) also known as GenX
  5. PFHxA (Perfluorohexanoic Acid)
  6. PFHxS (Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid)
  7. 6:2 FTS (Fluorotelomer sulfonic acid, 6:2)
  8. PFHpA (Perfluoroheptanoic acid)
  9. PFNA (Perfluorononanoic acid)
  10. PFPeA (Perfluoropentanoic acid)
  11. PFBS (Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid)
• For Phase 1 testing and validation, contaminated samples will be provided by the challenge sponsors.
• For Phase 2 validation, access to a contaminated site will be provided by the challenge sponsors for a pilot demonstration. Security clearance to the site may be required.
• Any PFAS-contaminated samples or used filtration media must be disposed of or treated in accordance with all applicable Canadian environmental regulations, criteria and standards for waste treatment and disposal.

Background and context

PFAS investigation/assessment, removal and destruction is estimated to be the fastest growing environmental market globally, with numerous contaminated sites requiring remediation efforts. There are thousands of known PFAS-contaminated sites across North America (Reference 4), including industrial facilities, airports, military bases, and municipal landfills. There are known confirmed or suspected PFAS contaminated sites in Canada's military bases and airports (Reference 5). The market value for PFAS removal and destruction services is significant, with estimates reaching several billion dollars by 2030 and the PFAS waste management market valued at US$2.9B in 2031 (Reference 6).

This challenge fits within Canada's commitment (Reference 7) to protect the health and safety of Canadians and the environment from the harmful effects of PFAS contamination.

Multiple awards could result from this Challenge.

Phase 1: The objective of Phase 1 is for selected applicants to conduct a bench-scale test on their proposed solutions. Applicants must deliver proof of feasibility after conducting ex-situ testing on provided PFAS-contaminated water or soil or biosolids samples, comparing the concentration of PFAS before and after treatment. In this phase, the risks and advantages of the proposed technology or process adoption should be identified. 

• The maximum funding available for any Phase 1 grant resulting from this Challenge is: $200,000 CAD
• The maximum duration for any Phase 1 project funded by a grant resulting from this Challenge is up to 6 months
• Estimated number of Phase 1 grants: 3

Phase 2: The objective of Phase 2 is to conduct R&D on the proposed solution and develop a pilot demonstration to conduct in-situ testing prior to and after destruction at a PFAS-contaminated test site.

• The maximum funding available for any Phase 2 grant resulting from this Challenge is: $1,500,000 CAD
• The maximum duration for any Phase 2 project funded by a grant resulting from this Challenge is up to 18 months
  • Note: Only eligible businesses that have completed Phase 1 could be considered for Phase 2.
• Estimated number of Phase 2 grants: 1

Note: Selected companies are eligible to receive one grant per phase per challenge.

This disclosure is made in good faith and does not commit Canada to award any grant for the total approximate funding. Final decisions on the number of Phase 1 and Phase 2 awards will be made by Canada on the basis of factors such as evaluation results, departmental priorities and availability of funds. Canada reserves the right to make partial awards and to negotiate project scope changes.

Travel

No travel is anticipated during Phase 1.

Some travel is expected by the successful applicant during Phase 2 to and from the pilot test site.

Kick-off meeting

All communication will take place by telephone or videoconference.

Progress review meeting(s)

Any progress review meetings will be conducted by telephone or videoconference.

Final review meeting

All communication will take place by telephone or videoconference.

Solution proposals can only be submitted by a small business that meets all of the following criteria:

• for profit
• incorporated in Canada (federally or provincially)
• 499 or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employees^{Footnote **}
• research and development activities that take place in Canada
• 50% or more of its annual wages, salaries and fees are currently paid to employees and contractors who spend the majority of their time working in Canada^{Footnote **}
• 50% or more of its FTE employees have Canada as their ordinary place of work^{Footnote **}
• 50% or more of its senior executives (Vice President and above) have Canada as their principal residence^{Footnote **}

For more information, questions regarding this specific challenge should be addressed to solutions@ised-isde.gc.ca.

All enquiries must be submitted in writing no later than ten calendar days before the Challenge Notice closing date. Enquiries received after that time may not be answered.

A glossary is also available.