KC Donnelly Externship Admin Supplement for Ariel Robinson P42ES007380 UKSRC

Ariel Robinson KC Donnelly Abstract: Together, UKSRC Project 4 and NCState Project 4, combine to provide a beneficial opportunity for my KC Donnelly Externship. I will learn sampling and analytical procedures related to PFAS. Various industries discharge wastewater to wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) through a complex interconnected network of piping infrastructure that the UKSRC team has mapped using GIS software. Industrial discharges are regulated by industrial pretreatment permit programs and by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Industrial pretreatment programs pretreat wastewater to reduce contaminant concentrations before the water reaches a surface water. Most wastewater treatment plants do not have capacity to treat PFAS. Therefore, PFAS leaves WWTP and are discharged to surface water bodies, which serve as drinking water sources. In Kentucky, over 70% of the drinking water sources come from surface water sources. Some of the drinking water plants use GAC, but not many. Although, GAC is being considered as a PFAS treatment option. Specific Aim 1. To learn sample preparation for water samples that contain various volatile and semi-volatile PFAS for analysis by mass spectrometry. Experiments using samples from NCState’s Project 4 will be the focus of this aim. Experienced graduate students under supervision of Dr. Detlef Knappe will provide me training on sample preparation methods used during these experiments Specific Aim 2. To learn chemical analysis for water samples being analyzed for PFAS using high- and low-resolution mass spectrometry. Under the direction of Dr. Detlef Knappe, I plan to learn the analytical workflow of PFAS chemicals, behavior of PFAS chemicals within the ion source, and expand my knowledge of PFAS analysis from standard EPA methods.