Rice University announces Center of Excellence to address ‘Forever Chemicals’ Challenges

Rice University is proud to announce the establishment of a Center of Excellence to tackle broad spectrum of challenges related to Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class of about 15,000 man-made highly fluorinated, persistent, and potentially toxic compounds. These ‘Forever Chemicals’ have become a new part of the earth’s ecosystem and are found in the atmosphere, rain, surface water, groundwater, and even in the blood of newborn babies.

R-PARC materialized through a multi-year, multi-million-dollar collaboration with Army ERDC and Rice University researchers. The Center’s primary focus lies in coordinating research activities related to destroying and replacing ‘forever chemicals.