Student gels with GCU to remove stubborn pollutants from water

A Glasgow Caledonian University student is looking to develop an analytical method to monitor the removal of pollutants so persistent they are known as the “forever chemicals”.

Sophie Singer has accepted a seven-week studentship funded by British Mass Spectrometry Society (BMSS) and will seek to determine if perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) can be removed from water using gelling agents.

PFAS are extremely persistent pollutants with an environmental half-life of decades. They are so persistent they are known as “forever chemicals” and are immuno-suppressants, carcinogenic and cause thyroid, cholesterol and fertility problems. They can be transported through the atmosphere as well as in water and have been found in remote locations such as polar snow, far from where they were originally manufactured or used. Sophie’s supervisor, Dr Joanne Roberts, says a good analytical method is required to determine these pollutants at low concentration.

Dr Roberts said: “Gelators have the potential to form gels on interaction with chemicals under the correct conditions and by using a compatible gelling agent. The gel reacts to stimuli such as pH and temperature and can be switched off and on by varying these parameters. It is our hope to develop the correct gelling agent and conditions to remove PFAS. The ability for the removal will be tested by Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LCMS).”

LCMS is highly sensitive and specific analytical technique which can detect, identify and quantify PFASs at very low environmental concentrations in complex sample types, such as soil, sediment, waste water, food and plant material.

Dr Roberts added: “A meticulous LCMS method will be developed to analyse these pollutants in complex matrices. Once this is done, the removal of the pollutants using the gelling agent will be monitored. Sophie will gain knowledge in chromatography, mass spectrometry and gelling agents as well as practical laboratory skills.”