Development and Optimisation of Adsorbents for the Detection and Environmental Remediation of Organic Pollutants

Background

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are now recognised as one of the most persistent and widespread classes of environmental contaminants. A defining characteristic of PFAS is their environmental persistence; unlike many organic pollutants, PFAS degrade very slowly, leading to long-term potential impacts on the environment and human health. Although recent scalable chemical processes have been reported for PFAS decomposition, such as low-temperature mineralisation of perfluorocarboxylic acids (e.g., Science, 2022, 377, 839), such approaches require PFAS concentrations much higher than those typically found in the environment. Consequently, there is an urgent need for low-cost, low-energy remediation technologies capable of selectively detecting PFAS in the environment and concentrating these pollutants to levels suitable for subsequent degradation and, where feasible, recovery or recycling.

Project Overview

Current PFAS remediation strategies rely heavily on granular activated carbons and ion-exchange resins, but these materials often lack the selectivity required for efficient removal at environmentally relevant concentrations. New generations of adsorbents with stronger and more selective PFAS affinities are emerging (e.g., Matter, 2025, 8, 102246), yet significant challenges remain in their design, optimisation, and scale-up.

This PhD project will address these challenges by developing porous adsorbent materials that can both sense and selectively capture PFAS from water. Working at the interface of synthetic chemistry, materials design, and environmental remediation, the successful candidate will develop new organic host structures and tune their properties to enable high-performance PFAS capture under real-world conditions.

The project is undertaken in close collaboration with Charles River Laboratories, whose state-of-the-art research facility is located on the co-located science park. The student will benefit from industrial placements, joint supervision, and access to advanced analytical capabilities.

Research Approach

The project will combine research and extensive training in the following areas:

• Synthetic organic chemistry, including the design and preparation of new porous hosts.
• Automation and continuous flow chemistry, using integrated analytical workstations to accelerate materials discovery.
• Machine-learning-assisted reaction optimisation, building on recent successes in high-throughput reaction development and chemical space exploration.
• Computational design and modelling, used to guide structural modifications and predict PFAS binding behaviour.
• Performance testing, evaluating sorbents under environmentally relevant conditions, including, in collaboration with Charles River Laboratories.

It is envisaged that the project will develop an integrated approach across these areas, enabling accelerated iteration between sorbent design, synthesis, and testing, and the discovery of new materials with enhanced PFAS selectivity and sensing capabilities.