The Strategic Environmental Research & Development Program (SERDP) awarded Dr. Mario Wriedt $581,027 for his research on High-Capacity Sustainable Sorbents for Treatment of PFAS. The main purpose of Dr. Wriedt’s research is to improve and evaluate new sorbent materials that can effectively eliminate PFAS or Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from contaminated water sources, especially water sources affected by Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF). Since PFAS mixtures are known to be highly resistant to environmental breakdown and pose health risks, this research intends to create sorbents that perform better and last longer than existing solutions like GAC, or granular activated carbon and ion exchange systems.  

This research study explores three innovative sorbent categories, where one category is built with lanthanide elements, another uses metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and a third category that combines condensed graphene oxide with nanoscale zero-valent iron. Key goals outlined in Dr. Wriedt’s research involve tailoring the materials for continuous-flow systems, measuring how efficiently and quickly they capture PFAS, advancing effective ways to renew the sorbents, and assessing how well they perform across repeated treatment cycles.

Additionally, this study aims to classify a cost-effective, reusable material and renewal method that can target a wider set of PFAS compounds more successfully than existing treatment methods. By advancing PFAS treatment methods, Dr. Wriedt’s research supports the ongoing innovation in water purification and contributes to the fields of chemistry and biochemistry.