Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID MA-2025-Katsumata

Rapid and Cost-Effective Fabrication of Nitrogen-Doped Porous Carbon Webs for Efficient PFAS Removal

Institute: Massachusetts
Year Established: 2025 Start Date: 2026-01-01 End Date: 2026-12-31
Total Federal Funds: $50,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $57,590

Principal Investigators: University of Massachusetts Amherst

Project Summary: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as ?forever chemicals,? are a major threat to clean water. Current solutions like activated carbon and ion-exchange resins are either too expensive or not effective for widespread use. Thus, this project aims to develop a new PFAS removal material that better balances cost and performance. Utilizing a rapid heating process to convert plastic-based polymers into a porous carbon material, this method provides a fast, energy-efficient, and high-performance materials at a lower cost than current technologies to trap PFAS. The resulting material can also be recycled and reused by magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and solvent wash. By studying how material structure affects performance, this research could lead to affordable, reusable filters offering a practical alternative to current PFAS treatment options.