Award
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 5P42ES027725-07
Project 4: Pyrolytic conversion of PAHs in contaminated sediments into char to eliminate toxicity and enhance soil fertility
Recipient
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
Award Amount
$382,939.00
Ceiling
$382,939.00
Awarded
January 27, 2026
Identifier
5P42ES027725-07
The award funds research to develop a cost-effective thermal remediation technology that converts toxic PAHs in contaminated soils into non-toxic char, reducing energy use and enhancing soil fertility through catalytic pyrolytic treatment.
Description
This project will develop a sustainable thermal remediation technology to rapidly and reliably treat soils contaminated with priority pollutants, including activated PAHs byproducts of environmental transformations. The project aims to decrease energy requirements for thermal treatment by exploiting catalytic effects of natural clays with transition metals to accelerate pyrolytic degradation of PAHs, detoxify soils, and recover soil fertility. It includes molecular modeling and process modeling to optimize pyrolysis reactors and ensure regulatory compliance and elimination of toxicity.