SRC 2023 Sustainable Future Award

Presented to:

Dr. Damian Helbling of Cornell University is SRC’s 2023 winner for the Sustainable Future Award. Dr. Helbling’ s work in identifying the sources of PFAS substances in photolithography wastewater (Project 2989.001) has helped SRC member companies to determine the sources of PFAS in lithography wastewater which in turn can enable point-of-use abatement systems. Dr. Helbling’s team in collaboration with EMD, GF, IBM, Intel, Micron, and TI have developed an analytical technique to quantify ultra short-chain PFAS compounds in fab wastewater. The results from this project are critical to industry and research academia as the identification and quantification of the PFAS chemicals in wastewater provide direction for new research to develop innovative alternative materials and treatment techniques.