Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Novel Technology for Concentration and Detection of PFAS in Water Environment
EPA Contract Number: 68HERC23C0015Title: Novel Technology for Concentration and Detection of PFAS in Water Environment
Investigators: Jiao, Hong
Small Business: HJ Science & Technology, Inc.
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: December 1, 2022 through May 31, 2023
Project Amount: $99,996
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I (2023) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: SBIR - Water , SBIR - Homeland Security , SBIR - Sustainability , SBIR - Air and Climate
Description:
In this SBIR Phase I project, HJ Science & Technology, Inc. proposes to demonstrate the technical feasibility of a portable automation technology capable of performing on-site sample concentration and detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in complex water environments including drinking water, groundwater, surface water and wastewater. Our approach combines automation, rapid sample concentration, and detection such that PFAS including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) in the water sample can be identified and quantified. The proposed technology is fast, compact, light weight, portable, inexpensive, and easy to use, amenable for the on-site detection of PFAS in water environment with sensitivity and selectivity that are only currently achievable with laboratory-based instruments (e.g. Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) and Liquid Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS/MS)). The technology is specifically designed to meet the drinking water standard proposed by the EPA on March 14, 2023, which sets the recommended limit at 4 ppt for both PFOA and PFOS.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
In this successful Phase I effort, HJ Science & Technology, Inc. has established the feasibility of a novel device capable of performing automated detection of the presence of sub-ppt levels of PFOA and PFOS. Our technology centers on a novel filter capable of capturing PFOA and PFAS from a large volume and concentrate into a small volume for downstream detection. In addition, the fluid manipulation required for this technique is amenable to automation. In the Phase I feasibility study, we have applied this technology to concentrate PFOA or PFOS spiked in up to 1 L of tap water down to microliter scale elution volumes. Using this process, we were able to detect sub-ppt level of PFOA and PFOS concentrations in the original sample. Additionally, we have demonstrated the ability to automate the operation of the entire sample concentration process. Specifically, the automated instrumentation can process 1 L of tap water in under an hour. We have achieved the overall Phase I goal by accomplishing all three of the following technical objectives:
We have demonstrated the feasibility of using our novel sample concentration technology to concentrate and measure PFOA and PFOS concentrations with sub-ppt level of detection limit.
- We have demonstrated the feasibility of using our novel sample concentration technology to concentrate and measure PFOA and PFOS concentrations with sub-ppt level of detection limit.
- We have demonstrated the feasibility of using our automation technology to perform automated sample concentration and measurement with sub-ppt level of detection limit for both PFOA and PFOS and comparable results as manually performed method both in terms of percent recovery and throughput.
- We have successfully designed a Phase II prototype.
Conclusions:
In this SBIR Phase I effort, we have achieved all the stated technical objectives. By establishing the technical feasibility of the automated concentration and detection system to detect sub-ppt level of PFOA and PFOS in less than 1 hour, the Phase I results clearly show that the proposed automation technology can be used to develop a portable field deployable instrument for PFAS detection in drinking water and other water environment. Due to the success of this Phase I research, we are pursuing SBIR Phase II funding to further refine, build, and test a portable Phase II prototype.
The proposed on-site PFAS detection technology offers compelling advantage for applications in the areas where the environment has been contaminated by PFAS. These include both the government and private sectors. The federal agencies that have laboratories or facilities contaminated by PFAS include Department of Energy and Depart of Defense. Private industries that use PFAS are aerospace, automotive, construction, and electronics which include companies such as 3M, Du Pont, Lockheed Martin, just to name a few.
The 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.