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You are here: Home / Grant Size / $1 Million to $50 Million / EPA: Developing and Demonstrating Nanosensor Technology to Detect, Monitor, and Degrade Pollutants

EPA: Developing and Demonstrating Nanosensor Technology to Detect, Monitor, and Degrade Pollutants

Dated: July 7, 2023

The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking proposals that use nanotechnology to detect, monitor, and degrade PFAS in groundwater or surface water that may be used as drinking water sources.

Donor Name: Environmental Protection Agency

State: All States

County: All Counties

Territory: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline: 10/04/2023

Size of the Grant: $1.5 million

Grant Duration: 3 years

Details:

The Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program’s goal is to stimulate and support scientific and engineering research that advances EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment. It is a competitive, peer-reviewed, extramural research program that provides access to the nation’s best scientists and engineers in academic and other nonprofit research institutions. STAR funds research on the environmental and public health effects of air quality, environmental changes, water quality and quantity, hazardous waste, toxic substances, and pesticides.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are long-lasting chemicals that are widely used in an array of consumer, commercial, and industrial products. Due to widespread use and persistence in the environment, PFAS are commonly found in air, soil, and water. There is evidence that continued exposure to certain PFAS, even at low levels, can cause harmful health effects. Measuring PFAS at low levels is a challenge with current analytical methods. In addition, PFAS are incredibly difficult to degrade, and traditional methods often cannot degrade PFAS or produce a toxic waste stream.

Advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology have the potential to address the major challenges of conventional technology for the detection and treatment of PFAS-contaminated waters. Nanoparticles have been introduced for the detection and remediation of a wide range of contaminants in different matrices. Because of their unique properties, nanomaterials have enabled advances in sensor design such as miniaturization, portability, and rapid signal response times. Nanomaterial-enabled sensors are being designed for efficiency, flexibility, and multipollutant sensing applications. Nanotechnology may help to build better environmental sensors by reducing cost, improving efficiency and increasing selectivity. In addition to detection and monitoring, nanotechnology can also be used in the sequestration and degradation of pollutants. Nanomaterials have advantages to conventional treatment methods, such as smaller size, larger specific surface area, and are easily manipulated and dispersed in water. The growing focus on removing low levels of PFAS contamination from drinking water supplies has produced several PFAS-removal approaches. However, the carbon-fluorine (C-F) bond in PFAS is extremely strong, making complete destruction difficult, and there are uncertainties around the effectiveness of traditional destruction technologies (e.g., thermal treatment) for PFAS. The next generation of high-performance separation and degradation technologies are needed for the safe and cost-effective removal and destruction of PFAS.

Research Areas

  • Research Area 1: Develop and demonstrate nanosensor technology to detect and monitor PFAS
  • The proposed nanotechnology should specifically PFAS in groundwater or surface water that may be used as drinking water sources
    • The ideal nanosensor should:
      • Have a broad range of capabilities for the measurement of PFAS in water
      • Be reliable and easy to operate
      • Function in a range of chemical concentrations relevant to human health
      • Demonstrate high sensitivity and selectivity with detection limit values on par with the minimum reporting levels in the fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5) [18]
      • Detect PFAS in the environment at or near to real time
      • Function under conditions normally associated with real environmental matrices
      • Provide temporal data for the location and time of measurement
      • Collect information on fate and transport of PFAS across a large distance
      • Communicate wirelessly to users
      • Have potential to be integrated into a comprehensive monitoring system
  • Research Area 2: Develop and demonstrate nanosensor technology with functionalized catalysts to degrade PFAS
    • The proposed nanotechnology should degrade PFAS through chemical reactions that render the pollutants harmless and create non-harmful by-products. Applications should demonstrate enhanced performance of the nanotechnology-enabled catalysis through improved efficiency (speed and completeness of the reaction) and sustainability (input and by-products of the reaction).

Outputs and Outcomes

  • Outputs expected from the research funded under this RFA may include, but are not limited to, the following:
    • Nanosensors with proven sensitivity and selectivity to monitor spatial and temporal changes in PFAS in the field
    • Demonstration of nanosensors that are scalable and practical for use beyond laboratory settings to provide real-time data on PFAS concentrations for water quality managers
    • Nanotechnology with demonstrated ability to remove and/or degrade PFAS in water.
    • Identification of cases where environmental sensing and management needs are unmet and may be addressed with nanotechnology
    • Demonstration of how nanotechnology can be developed, scaled, and implemented for environmental sensing and management
    • Evidence for development and scale-up process, demonstration scenarios, and cost structure to apply nanotechnology sensors and catalysts in environmental sensing and management
    • Established test cases for future applications of nano-enabled sensing and catalysis for environmental monitoring and management
    • Versatile and vibrant systems which involve cutting-edge techniques in sensing and monitoring
    • Reports and peer reviewed publications pertaining to the research areas
    • Outreach materials for stakeholders such as state and local governments demonstrating the benefits of nanosensor technology for environmental sensing and management
  • Outcomes expected from the research funded under this RFA may include, but are not limited to, the following:
    • Improved understanding of environmental sensing at the nanoscale
    • Improved ability for nanosensors to measure many analytes simultaneously and near realtime
    • Improved spatial and temporal resolution of nanosensors for more accurate and precise modeling.

Funding Information

It is anticipated that a total of approximately $1.5 million will be awarded under this announcement, depending on the availability of funds, quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. The EPA anticipates funding approximately 1 award under this RFA. Requests for amounts in excess of a total of $1,500,000 per award, including direct and indirect costs, will not be considered. The total project period requested in an application submitted for this RFA may not exceed three years.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Public and private nonprofit institutions/organizations, public and private institutions of higher education (IHEs), and hospitals located in the U.S. and its territories or possessions; state and local governments; Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments; and U.S. territories or possessions are eligible to apply. Profit-making firms and individuals are not eligible to apply
  • Consistent with the definition of Nonprofit organization at 2 CFR § 200.1, the term nonprofit organization means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization that is operated mainly for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purpose in the public interest and is not organized primarily for profit; and uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operation of the organization. The term includes tax-exempt nonprofit neighborhood and labor organizations. Note that 2 CFR § 200.1 specifically excludes Institutions of Higher Education from the definition of non-profit organization because they are separately defined in the regulation. While not considered to be a nonprofit organization(s) as defined by 2 CFR § 200.1, public or nonprofit Institutions of Higher Education are, nevertheless, eligible to submit applications under this RFA. Hospitals operated by state, tribal, or local governments or that meet the definition of nonprofit at 2 CFR § 200.1 are also eligible to apply as nonprofits or as instrumentalities of the unit of government depending on the applicable law. For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible
  • Nonprofit organizations that are not exempt from taxation under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code must submit other forms of documentation of nonprofit status; such as certificates of incorporation as nonprofit under state or tribal law. Nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that lobby are not eligible for EPA funding as provided in the Lobbying Disclosure Act, 2 U.S.C. 1611
  • Foreign governments, international organizations, and non-governmental international organizations/institutions are not eligible to apply.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.

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