University of Missouri students will design, build and test a point-of-use drinking water treatment system to target contamination caused by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and will receive a $25,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency.
As part of this initiative, researchers Maria Fidalgo and Chung-Ho Lin will develop a stand-alone drinking water purification system that uses little energy and operates at a low cost, according to a July 19 EPA news release. The funds from the grant will go toward the design and development of this system.
“As we learn more about PFAS contamination and its negative health consequences, it is important that we are investing in grants like this that move us closer to an affordable and practical solution to reduce these emerging contaminants in drinking water,” EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister said in the release. “This University of Missouri project could result in a low-cost, small-scale water treatment option, and this team is providing exactly the kind of innovative thinking needed to tackle this pressing environmental challenge.”
The People, Prosperity, and the Planet Program of the Environmental Protection Agency provided funding of approximately $400,000 to 16 student teams for the purpose of conducting research and developing creative solutions to environmental and public health concerns, the release reported.
