Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2023_TN_Wu

Developing a sensor platform for rapid on-site detection of field-relevant levels of PFAS in the environment

Institute: Tennessee
USGS Grant Number:
Year Established: 2023 Start Date: 2024-01-01 End Date: 2025-12-31
Total Federal Funds: $279,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $279,912

Principal Investigators: Jayne Wu

Project Summary: PFAS are harmful chemicals found in the environment that potentially contaminate water and food supplies. However, limited information exists about their occurrence and distribution across the US due to the requirements for specialized instrumentation, lengthy laboratory protocols, and trained technical staff. To address this issue, a highly sensitive, low-cost, and portable sensor platform is being developed to quickly and easily detect PFAS in environmental samples. This innovative technology uses AC electrokinetics-integrated capacitive sensing to accurately detect PFOA, PFOS, and total PFAS in surface water, plasma and sediment samples at very low levels. The sensor is user-friendly, with a rapid sample-to-result time of a few minutes. This project involves a collaboration between UTK and USGS, which provides interdisciplinary research opportunities for students and early-career researchers. This project aims to significantly improve the capability to monitor PFAS distribution, particularly in regions with inadequate resources, hence promoting environmental sustainability and public health.