Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Rapid Field Trace Detection of Perfluoroalkyl Substance in Water
EPA Contract Number: 68HERD19C0010Title: Rapid Field Trace Detection of Perfluoroalkyl Substance in Water
Investigators: Wang, Qingwu
Small Business: 2WiTech, LLC
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: May 1, 2019 through October 31, 2019
Project Amount: $100,000
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2019) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) , SBIR - Water Quality , Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR): Phase 1 (2019)
Description:
Due to increasing concerns over the long-term health effects of PFAS on the human body, regulatory agencies have set limits for the concentrations of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) in drinking water. In 2016, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) established a lifetime health advisory (LHA) level of 70 parts per trillion (ppt) for individual or combined concentrations of PFOA and PFOS in drinking water. Currently lab-based PFOA and PFOS water tests cost $200 - $300 per sample with a turnaround time of 2-3 weeks. Hence, the development of low cost field trace detection and monitoring systems for PFOS and PFOA in water is highly necessary. In this EPA Phase I program, 2Wi Tech LLC developed a low-cost fieldable sensing technology for detecting trace amounts of PFOA and PFOS in water.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
In this Phase I program, 2W iTech successfully developed a novel polymeric sensing film with sensitive binding sites specifically for PFOA molecules. A fabrication process for the PFOA sensor has been developed, and PFOA-binding sensors have been fabricated and evaluated. A detection limit of 10ppt was achieved for the trace detection of PFOA in a lab setting. During the sensing process, the signal of the sensor was measured optically using a UV-Vis spectrometer and correlated to the concentration of PFOA in water. This detection limit was obtained through measuring a calibration curve for a range of concentrations from 0 to 10,000ppt of PFOA in water.
Conclusions:
SBIR Phase II:
Rapid Field Trace Detection of Perfluoroalkyl Substance in Water | Final ReportThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.