Enviro Wiki

Electrochemical treatment of munitions constituents is an emerging technology for the remediation of explosive compounds in wastewater. This process utilizes electrochemical oxidation mechanisms to degrade both legacy explosives, as well as newer insensitive high explosives. The treatment relies on direct electron transfer reactions and the generation of highly reactive hydroxyl radicals at the electrode surface. To learn more, check out the new #Envirowiki article by Dr. Brian P. Chaplin and S. M. Mohaiminul Islam at https://bit.ly/4bByG4N #scientificresearch #peerreviewed

#PFAS Monitored Retention (PMR) is an approach for managing #PFAS-affected sites that relies on natural retention processes that can lessen the migration and maximum concentrations of many #PFAS at impacted sites. Because #PFAS have not yet been shown to degrade to harmless end products by natural abiotic or biological actions, these retention processes (e.g., sorption, matrix diffusion) are expected to be the primary factors that dictate how PFAS behave and move in the environment, and they form the basis for PMR. The PMR concept has been incorporated into a framework that can help users determine the suitability of PMR at a specific site or identify the highest priorities among a portfolio of #PFAS-affected groundwater sites. To learn more, check out this month’s featured #Envirowiki article “PFAS Monitored Retention (PMR) and PFAS Enhanced Retention (PER)” by Dr. David Adamson, Dr. Charles Newell, and Dr. Hans Stroo at https://bit.ly/3Q20QvI #scientificresearch #peerreviewed

SERDP & ESTCP have selected a project led by Dr. Chuck Newell with GSI Environmental Inc. to develop methodologies for assessing mass flux of #PFAS at sites with impacted #groundwater. The project team aims to demonstrate how targeted, high-quality data can be used to refine conceptual site models and develop and screen remedial alternatives. Additional details are available on his project web page. https://bit.ly/3ZJ6uaA

ESTCP just released a solicitation seeking innovative technology demonstration proposals for funding beginning in FY 2026. Pre-proposal instructions and details about the specific Topic Areas are available at https://lnkd.in/gSVyr34E. ESTCP projects reduce the technical, cost, and execution risks associated with novel technologies by demonstrating and validating them at DoD installations. Technology demonstrations collect cost and performance data to supply defense managers and end users with the information they need to implement approved technologies and facilitate DoD adoption at scale.

SERDP & ESTCP are investing considerable resources into large-scale field demonstrations of #PFAS destruction technologies. A new cohort of projects will be demonstrating technologies for destruction of PFAS in soils and sediments. As part of this cohort, Dr. Yang Yang at Clarkson University, aims to develop a prototype mobile system capable of destroying PFAS, targeting low PFAS concentrations. Look for a SERDP & ESTCP webinar on this cohort of projects in 2025! Additional details of Dr. Yang’s project are available on his project web page. https://bit.ly/4eOOIsL

Sediment porewater dialysis passive samplers, also known as “peepers,” are sampling devices that allow the measurement of dissolved inorganic ions in the porewater of a saturated sediment. Peepers function by allowing freely-dissolved ions in sediment porewater to diffuse across a micro-porous membrane towards water contained in an isolated compartment that has been inserted into sediment. Once retrieved after a deployment period, the resulting sample obtained can provide concentrations of freely-dissolved inorganic constituents in sediment, which provides measurements that can be used for understanding contaminant fate and risk. To learn more, check out the new #Envirowiki article by Florent Risacher and Dr. Jason Conder at https://bit.ly/40CJQ5w #scientificresearch #peerreviewed

Our next #SerdpEstcpWebinar will focus on research efforts to characterize and understand #PFAS in source zones. Register and learn more here: https://bit.ly/4fy0vvE Dr. Charles Schaefer with CDM Smith and Dr. Chris Higgins with Colorado School of Mines will discuss the assessment and validation of analytical tools to provide information critical to overall PFAS mass discharge, perfluoroalkyl acid formation potential, and organic fluorine mass balance. Kenneth "Neth" Walker, P.E., P.G. with GSI Environmental Inc. will present on the use of real-time remote sensors to improve the efficiency of sampling and overall monitoring at PFAS vadose source zones.

Munitions Constituents, including insensitive munitions (IM), are a broad category of compounds which, in areas where manufactured or used, can be found in a variety of environmental matrices (waters, soil, and tissues). This presents an analytical challenge when a variety of these munitions are to be quantified. The new #Envirowiki article by Dr. Austin Scircle discusses sample extraction methods for each typical sample matrix (high level water, low level water, soil and tissue) as well as the accompanying HPLC-UV analytical method for 27 compounds of interest (legacy munitions, insensitive munitions, and surrogates). To learn more, check the new article at https://bit.ly/3YDlx55 #scientificresearch #peerreviewed

The VI Diagnosis Toolkit is a set of tools that can be used individually or in combination to assess #vaporintrusion (VI) impacts at one or more buildings overlying regional-scale dissolved #chlorinated #solvent impacted #groundwater plumes. The strategic use of these tools can lead to confident and efficient neighborhood-scale VI pathway assessments. To learn more, check out the new #Envirowiki article by Dr. Paul Johnson, Dr. Paul Dahlen and Dr. Yuanming Guo at https://bit.ly/4eh2p2F #scientificresearch #peerreviewed

SERDP & ESTCP are advancing research to develop cost-effective technologies for treating #PFAS-impacted matrices resulting from the use of AFFF formulations. Dr. Paul G. Tratnyek’s #SERDP project at Oregon Health & Science University aims to demonstrate a novel treatment process that combines several previously proven methods of #PFAS degradation. This new method combines dissolving metal reduction (#DMR) with zerovalent magnesium (Mg) and mechanochemical mixing (MCM) by ball milling to overcome each technology’s individual limitations. Additional details are available on his project web page. https://bit.ly/3BXDDa0