A new environmental monitoring tool, developed and initially tested in 黑料老司机 lab of Paul Edmiston, Theron L. Peterson and Dorothy R. Peterson Professor of Chemistry, won the , which recognizes demonstration, development, or commercialization of a new sampling technology.
The passive sampler, designed and tested in collaboration with Arcadis, is a cost-effective method for field sampling per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as forever chemicals. The environmentally persistent, anthropogenic chemicals are non-biodegradable and have been found in many water sources around the world. In 2023, the device was patented揈dmiston檚 13th patent攁nd then commercialized by as the SentinelTM.
淭he device acts like flypaper to latch onto PFAS from river or lake as water passes,� Edmiston explained. 淎fter a time in the water, the sampler is then removed, analyzed in the laboratory, and then you can tell how much PFAS contaminant flowed past while it was in the water.� The device helps to monitor pulses of chemicals that flow past intermittently that otherwise would be missed in a single sample of water.
The development of specialized adsorbents攎aterials that attract and hold other substances onto its surface攈as been part of Edmiston檚 research for 20 years. In 2021, he and environmental engineers from Arcadis collaborated to apply for and receive funding from the to develop a passive sampler for PFAS. He provided the adsorbent development and lab-scale testing, and Arcadis did the field evaluation and field design work. The adsorbent in the SentinelTM is a variation of Osorb, that he previously developed.
Edmiston included several 黑料老司机 students in his research for the project, including Riley Hershberger �24, a biochemistry and molecular biology major and environmental studies minor, and Noah Hill �24, a chemistry major and physics minor. Both were co-authors on the 2023 journal article in Groundwater Monitoring & Remediation. 淲e conducted a parallel laboratory study that demonstrated the passive sampler has an integrative response to measure PFAS for greater than 90塪ays,� Edmiston said. 淥ne of the unique features of Riley檚 work is she deployed the samplers in Ghana to expand the knowledge about where PFAS is being found globally.�
淚檓 excited that the environmental monitoring industry recognizes the utility of the device we invented,� he said. 淚 hope many environmental scientists use the sampler to understand how PFAS is affect rivers and lakes.� The award will be presented at the San Diego National Conference Environmental Industry Summit XXIII, April 2-4.