A community based PFAS phytoremediation project at the former Loring Airforce Base

Abstract

The Loring Airforce Base (AFB) in Aroostook County, Maine, USA was active from 1947 through 1994. Like many military sites, it has a substantial history of pollution from a wide variety of toxins. Currently, some of the AFB land belongs to the Micmac Nation, an Indigenous tribe, who are very concerned about the contamination on the land. Starting in 2019, a group of community activists, research scientists, and tribal members came together to test methods for cleaning the land. This backstory features perspectives from six project participants. BEGINNINGSWhat are the goals of this project? How did you decide what to investigate?Dr. Sara L. Nason (Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station): The overall goal of our work is to improve the quality of the land on the former Loring AFB, which now belongs to the Aroostook band of the Micmac Nation. Specifically, we are testing the use of fiber hemp plants for phytoremediation of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS are a class of emerging contaminants that are highly toxic at low concentrations and are frequently found on former military bases owing to their use in firefighting foams (Hagstrom et al., 2021). They are often called ''forever chemicals,'' as they are highly resistant to degradation. Part of the land acquired by the Micmac people was formerly used as a firefighting testing area. The US Airforce has detected concerning levels of PFAS in groundwater at this site, but did not conduct any remediation (Baker, 2018). There are limited technologies available for removing PFAS Currently, some of the Loring Airforce Base (AFB) land belongs to the Micmac Nation, an Indigenous tribe, who are very concerned about the contamination on the land. Starting in 2019, a group of community activists, research scientists, and tribal members came together to test methods for cleaning the land. This backstory features perspectives from six project participants.

Environmental Contaminants of Emerging Concern: Occurrence and Remediation

“…A community-based approach involving local native people of Indian reservations (Micmac nation) and policy makers worked efficiently to remediate PFAS generated during US military operations at Lorimer airforce base in Maine USA. They used cultivation of fibre hemp plants for bioremediation of PFAS [61]. A similar initiative with local communities and government could help at other contaminated sites and water bodies.…”

A comprehensive trial on PFAS remediation: hemp phytoextraction and PFAS degradation in harvested plants

“…5,6 Phytoremediation of PFAS has begun to receive attention due to its low cost, potential for community engagement, and moderate levels of success with other contaminant classes. [9][10][11][12] There are multiple approaches to phytoremediation. Plants can be used to degrade, stabilize, extract, or volatilize contaminants from soil.…”

“…[15][16][17][18][19][20] Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) scientists have previously worked with community members from the Mi'kmaq Nation (Aroostook County) and Upland Grassroots (a community organization) to characterize soil and analyze hemp plants (grown by community members) at a site contaminated with AFFF at the former Loring Airforce Base in northern Maine, USA, which is now Mi'kmaq Nation land. 9,21 Here, results are presented from a community initiated, eld-scale phytoremediation trial at Loring Airforce Base, where both traditional targeted analysis and non-targeted analysis [21][22][23] were used to quantify PFAS in soil and plants, as well as to examine the behavior of additional PFAS, including precursor compounds. Field-grown hemp was used in an HTL process designed to eliminate PFAS and produce fuel, and the products were tested to assess PFAS removal.…”

“…5,6 Phytoremediation of PFAS has begun to receive attention due to its low cost, potential for community engagement, and moderate levels of success with other contaminant classes. 9–12…”

A Comprehensive Trial on PFAS Remediation: Hemp Phytoextraction and PFAS Degradation in Harvested Plants

“…[15][16][17][18] Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) scientists have previously worked with community members from the Mi'kmaq Nation (Aroostook County) and Upland Grassroots (a community organization) to characterize soil and analyze hemp plants grown at a site contaminated with AFFF at the former Loring Airforce Base in northern Maine, USA, which is now Mi'kmaq Nation land. 9,19 Here, results are presented from a field-scale phytoremediation trial, where both traditional targeted analysis and non-targeted analysis [19][20][21] were used to quantify PFAS in soil and plants, as well as to examine the behavior of additional PFAS, including precursor compounds. Field-grown hemp was used in an HTL process designed to eliminate PFAS and produce fuel, and the products were tested to assess PFAS removal.…”