Nebraska Engineering researcher Nirupam Aich is adding his expertise to a federally funded project that aims to create the first “field-ready” process that both detects and monitors “forever chemicals” in water sources.

Aich’s research – focused on the use of nanomaterials to degrade and remove PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) – will be one of the key components in a three-year, $1,499,979 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The project is a multi-institute collaboration led by Clarkson University, with researchers at UNL among the major partners.

PFAS do not break down easily in the environment, leading to contamination of water, soil and living organisms, and sometimes leading to higher concentrations up the food chain, which impact ecosystems and human health.

These “forever chemicals,” which leach out of everyday products such as non-stick cooking pans, food packaging, clothing and cosmetics – accumulate in the bodies of living organisms. PFAS have also been linked to various human health issues, including increased cholesterol levels, immune system effects, liver damage, thyroid disruption and an elevated risk of certain cancers.

The project is significant, Aich said, because the EPA only began regulating PFAS earlier in 2024 and because this is one of the first grants the agency has made with a goal of simultaneously monitoring and removing these harmful chemicals from wastewater and groundwater.

“Typically, researchers are either working on monitoring these chemicals in water or they are removing and destroying them but working on those two processes separately. This will be the first field-ready process that can determine the level of PFAS contamination in wastewater or groundwater and, at the same time, evaluate the effectiveness of remediation technology,” said Aich, Richard L. McNeel Associate Professor in civil and environmental engineering.

“(And) it is exciting because the EPA is the main regulatory agency, and this (grant) is recognizing the work we have done and that we are taking the next step on the cutting edge of systems.”

First, Aich said, the project will make certain the nanosensing technology, developed by researchers at Clarkson University and Stevens Institute of Technology, is viable and deployable. Then, he said, it is important to pair the detection phase of the process with a nanomaterial that will remove PFAS from the water.

Earlier this year, a paper written by Aich and his research team showed that the use of carbon-metal-based reactive nanocatalysts can degrade the two major types of PFAS – perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanoic sulfonic acid (PFOS) – that are the focus of the new EPA regulations.

In this project, Aich’s group will integrate these PFAS-degrading nanomaterials with the new nanosensor detectors. Aich also said the nanocatalysts produced for PFAS degradation can behave differently in different types of wastewater and groundwater – depending on what other chemicals or ions are present.

“That’s why we have to improve the catalytic activity of the nanomaterials to avoid any interference from other components in the water,” Aich said. “The new system needs to have much better efficiency and flexibility.”

The EPA rules announced April 10 require municipal drinking water utilities to monitor for PFAS for three years and to notify the public and reduce contamination if levels exceed the new standard of four parts per trillion. If needed, the utilities have two years to install equipment or filtration systems to meet the acceptable standard.

Aich said the EPA wants the new technology to be affordable for small municipal water systems. Currently, analysis of water to find PFAS levels can be as much as $1,000 per sample, Aich said, noting the EPA is hoping to cut that cost considerably with the development of this new technology.

The team will work with wastewater treatment plants to test the technology, including one in a tribal community in upstate New York. Access to affordable detection and remediation of PFAS, Aich said, could be “revolutionary” for people who live in areas with limited economic resources.

civil and environmental engineering