UW-Madison Launches PFAS Center to Clean Wisconsin Waters

The University of Wisconsin-Madison announced the establishment of the Center of Excellence in PFAS Environmental Science within its Water Sciences and Engineering Laboratory, funded by $963,000 in federal grants announced by U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan on March 27, 2024.[1][2][3] The center, housed under Wisconsin Sea Grant, aims to detect hard-to-identify PFAS compounds and develop remediation strategies to protect Wisconsin's drinking water and ecosystems.[1] Key upgrades include a new mass spectrometer to analyze contamination more efficiently, boosting the lab's capacity to process samples from across the state.[1] Christy Remucal, a UW-Madison professor of civil and environmental engineering, leads efforts to broaden PFAS detection in soil and water, addressing the chemicals' persistence dubbed 'forever chemicals.'[2] The funding, part of bipartisan federal bills signed by President Biden, supports cross-campus research and recruits graduate and postdoctoral students to tackle PFAS samples.[1][2] In Dane County, where PFAS levels exceed 8 parts per trillion in Starkweather Creek and Lake Monona, the work is urgent; the Wisconsin DNR advises against swallowing water there and rinsing pets after contact.[5] Complementary initiatives amplify the fight. Professors S. Amirfakhri at UW-Stevens Point and Xuejun Pan at UW-Madison received Freshwater Collaborative funding to test PFAS removal using activated carbon from kapok fiber and Douglas fir, which showed the highest adsorption capacity.[4] They've trained students from multiple UW campuses and hosted workshops, including one on April 3, 2024, for high school educators, plus middle school events teaching filtration basics.[4] These efforts build statewide capacity amid widespread PFAS in Wisconsin's surface and groundwater.[3]