Nanoparticulate formular for remediation of perfluorinated substances from polluted soils.

PDEG is the acronym for PFC-degradation and introduces a technology for medium and large-scale decontamination of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) from soil or water samples. Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are a group of ultra-persistent compounds which have been used for decades in fire-extinguishing foams, are used throughout the consumer product arena as well as in other fields of industrial and commercial activity. Perfluorinated compounds are considered en emerging group of pollutants with hazardous effects on the environment and humans, as the inherent compounds depend on the ultra-stable organoflurine bond (C-F). PFCs represent therefore one of the most important family of emerging pollutants and have been classified at the Stockholm convention (2006) as a high priority group for remediation and removal from the human environment. In order to meet these requirements, PDEG applies a proprietary method for large-scale mineralization and sedimentation of PFCs to nanoparticles of combination of natural minerals where one component contributes with the unoccupied 3d orbital in forming a back-bonding partner for oxidized C-C bonds from PFCs. The method has been tested towards 12 soil samples from the former airport of Uppsala, Sweden, and shows removal rates of PFCs between 80-100%. The pre-project applicaton PDEG encompasses purification of new samples using combination of nanoparticles from two minerals, along with analysis of the samples after treatment. The preproject also includes design of a mobile unit for decontamination of 1-5 cubic meters of PFC-polluted soil at a time using the method described in order to industrialize and commercialize the developed technology for application on airports and large affected areas.