Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID MO_2025_Schorer

Defluor-explore: discovery and mechanistic characterization of defluorinating enzymes to track per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) biotransformation across source to receptor pathways

Institute: Missouri
USGS Grant Number:
Year Established: 2025 Start Date: 2026-08-01 End Date: 2029-07-31
Total Federal Funds: $309,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $309,000

Principal Investigators: Hunter Schroer

Project Summary: Efforts to predict PFAS transformation and transport in the environment have largely been unsuccessful. In this proposed work, we seek to identify new protein biocatalysts (enzymes) responsible for transforming PFAS to track and implement PFAS remediation strategies. We will also study enzymes thought to break down PFAS to understand if and how the defluorinating candidates work. Finally, we will leverage ongoing work at USGS with a PFAS degrading microbial consortium to identify biomarkers for PFAS transformation. If successful, the outcomes of the project would unlock exciting technologies for carbon-fluorine bond destruction, saving money and protecting human health and the environment.