ChemFORWARD Joins an NSF-Funded Project to Tackle "Forever Chemicals" with AI
New Initiative Aims to Identify, Replace, and Capture PFAS Faster
A new collaboration led by IBM and joined by ChemFORWARD, a non-profit focused on safer chemical alternatives, has been awarded a $5 million grant to develop faster solutions for the complex problem of PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals."
PFAS are a vast and growing group of man-made compounds known for their persistence in the environment and potential health risks. With millions of varieties existing and limited scientific data, identifying and replacing them poses a significant challenge.
This 3-year project, funded by the NSF Convergence Accelerator has three objectives:
to simplify the identification of PFAS chemicals and materials;
to speed up the discovery of safer PFAS alternatives with the help of generative AI; and
to recommend methods for capturing PFAS from industrial applications until viable replacements can be found.
"This is a complex, multi-dimensional problem beyond human scale," says Jed Pitera, a sustainable materials researcher at IBM. "AI has the potential to revolutionize the search for alternatives by predicting their performance and potential risks."
In the first phase of the project, IBM will work with ChemFORWARD to develop a user interface for companies to screen chemicals and materials in their supply chain for PFAS. The project's tools and resources aim to help companies and researchers navigate the complex landscape of PFAS definitions and policies.
The project will also leverage ChemFORWARD’s industry collaborations, chemical hazard data trust, and guide suppliers to eventually verify their PFAS-free solutions through a third-party process such as ChemFORWARD’s SAFER™ designation for raw materials – with the goal of accelerating the availability of verified safer solutions.
This collaboration brings together academia, industry, and non-profit expertise, offering a promising path towards tackling the global challenge of forever chemicals.
Learn More:
Video: PFACTS: Solutions for forever chemicals
IBM blog: Mitigating the environmental harm of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’
