NIEHS Superfund Research Program - Research Brief Podcasts

Researchers funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program developed a new biocatalyst technology to clean up chlorinated hydrocarbons, or CHCs, a large class of persistent groundwater pollutants.

SRP Researchers uncovered how underground conditions influence the success of chemical oxidation-based groundwater cleanup.

Scientists funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program developed a novel material that enhances the ability of plants to remove PFAS from soil and water.

Researchers partially funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) designed a scaled-up electrochemical system that combines electricity with the mineral pyrite, a mineral commonly found in the environment, to continuously remove organic and heavy metal contaminants from groundwater for a year. The study was led by Akram Alshawabkeh, Ph.D., from the Northeastern University SRP Center, and Kitae Baek, Ph.D., from Jeonbuk National University in Korea.

Machine learning algorithms can fill gaps in sparse or incomplete groundwater datasets, according to researchers partially funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program. The study tested the ability of two algorithms to help scientists analyze co-occurring pollutants in groundwater by filling in missing field data points and was led by researchers from Arizona State University, Harvard University, and North Carolina State University.

Scientists at the NIEHS-funded North Carolina State University Superfund Research Program Center created machine learning models that can help predict how well granular activated carbon can clean up contaminated water. With his student Yoko Koyama, Detlef Knappe, Ph.D., developed models that consider properties of the micropollutants — such as PFAS and volatile organic compounds — specific characteristics of the water being treated, and features of different GAC types.

Researchers funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program designed a new material that effectively degrades harmful compounds, like PFAS, and bacteria. By combining the power of sunlight and a component of plants, called lignin, this approach harnesses sustainable and renewable resources to reduce exposures and protect health.

Common low-cost samplers may be an effective technology for tracking PFAS levels in aquatic environments, according to a study funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP). The research team found that frequently used passive sampling devices, which collect samples over time, can monitor how PFAS mitigation strategies affect PFAS levels along a stretch of the Cape Fear River in North Carolina. Erin Baker, Ph.D., a project leader at the Texas A&M SRP Center and part of the analytical core at the North Carolina State University SRP Center, led the team.

Adding a common mineral, pyrite, to an electrochemical system can simultaneously remove organic and heavy metal contaminants from groundwater, according to a study funded in part by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP). Led by Akram Alshawabkeh, Ph.D., researchers at the Northeastern University SRP Center found that combining two types of remediation techniques – one that relies on applying an electrical current to destroy contaminants and one that uses minerals to adsorb contaminants – removed pollutants more effectively than either strategy alone.

A study funded by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) found that consuming some types of commercial seafood in high quantities may increase the risk of PFAS exposure. Led by Celia Chen, Ph.D., Kate Crawford, Ph.D., and Megan Romano, Ph.D., at Dartmouth College, the research team believes their findings can support the development of consumption guidelines to protect communities from further PFAS exposure.

NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP)-funded researchers, led by Heileen Hsu-Kim, Ph.D., of the Duke University SRP Center, provided insight into how and at what timescale mercury changes within a wetland ecosystem. They found mercury from different sources is converted into other mercury forms that eventually have similar properties. This finding can inform environmental management or pollution control strategies.

Scientists funded partly by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) developed a computer model to determine the health effects of exposure to dioxins. Researchers use the model to combine data on exposures and on known health outcomes to assess the overall risk chemicals could pose to health.For this study, researchers at the Michigan State University SRP Center and Emory University created a computational model to show how the highly toxic chemical 2,3,7,8- tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) affects biological processes that increase cholesterol levels in the liver.