Research Projects

This project will develop a combined thermal desorption/microwave plasma strategy for removing PFAS from granular activated carbon (GAC) filter media and their subsequent destruction. The goals of this project are the development and evaluation of a high-efficacy ‘warm’ thermal air plasma-based destruction technology for treating off-gases generated by upstream processes.

This project develops resilient, net-zero water buildings in urban areas facing droughts, floods, and climate change. As centralized water systems become less reliable, they are integrating innovations in water treatment, vapor harvesting, and smart design to achieve water independence and resilience. Using analytical tools such as high-resolution mass spectrometry, the team will study water quality and disinfection byproducts and develop improved oxidation processes for safe wastewater reuse.

This project examines environmental factors, such as temperature, heavy metals, and contaminants, that influence AMR development. It combines field, lab, and computational studies to understand when resistant bacteria replace susceptible strains, helping develop models and strategies to prevent AMR proliferation.

This project links measurement of antibiotics, AMR genes, and indicator organisms with predictive modeling and educational activities to evaluate risks and support decision-making. By integrating AMR fate and transport modeling with stakeholder engagement, it aims to develop a flexible, scalable framework to assess AMR risks in agro-ecosystems, enhance understanding of AMR pathways and impacts, and identify effective mitigation strategies to protect human health.

Over 15.6 million kilograms of veterinary antimicrobials are sold yearly in the US alone for disease control and growth promotion of livestock. 50-100% of administered antimicrobials can pass through animals unmetabolized, large amounts of residues enter the environment with manure and remain in the soil due to limited degradation. This project conducts research aimed at reducing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in agroecosystems.

This study will integrate in vitro and in silico high-throughput testing (HTT) with in vivo tests using the zebrafish model to evaluate the neurotoxicity of mixtures of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as well as the toxicity of PFAS mixtures with organic contaminants of emerging concern.

This project aims to develop tools for biodegrading PFAS, characterizing their transformation products, and assessing the biological activity of PFAS mixtures in WRRF effluent. Understanding whether transformations such as converting long-chain PFAS to shorter chains are beneficial or harmful under specific conditions is crucial for minimizing contamination and ecological impact.

This interdisciplinary project combines analytical chemistry, nanotechnology, environmental microbiology, and computational biochemistry to develop a mechanistically guided, model-aided treatment approach for PFAS-contaminated environments.

Global access to clean, disease-free water is a prerequisite for sustainable development. Mounting population pressure requires expanded water reuse, which tightens linkages between wastewater and drinking water.

Our overall goal in this study is to evaluate the effect of manganese exposure focusing on the accumulation of manganese in ear and brain tissue and the effects accumulation has on other biologically relevant metals (copper, zinc, iron) as well as hearing loss.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and heavy metals are an important indicator of environmental quality and ecosystem health. Metal detections and trends provide valuable insight in to environmental processes and changes in

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a broad class of ubiquitous, recalcitrant chemicals commonly detected in drinking water sources and aquatic ecosystems.

The continued introduction of PFASs into the environment and their persistence, including the degradation products formed during advanced chemical treatment has raised public concern.

During the past decade both animal and human studies have supported an association between polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants and neurobehavioral/neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly following in utero and postnatal exposure.

The increasing use of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in agriculture, energy production, environmental remediation, diagnostics, and biomedical applications1 has generated concerns regarding the potential impacts of ENMs on the environment and human health.

Modern dairy farms are one of the most important agricultural businesses in the U.S. and are known to use large amounts of antimicrobials for disease treatment and prevention.

Testing with the Dried Blood Spot (DBS) technique is a rising and still studying field in clinical applications. DBS is a blood sampling technique that places whole blood drops on specified filter paper for clinical purposes. Utilization of trace amount of blood for testing is the main advantage of this technique.

The degree of air pollution risk is measured by mass via passive air sampling collection via filters currently. The particulate matter (PM) collected from the air samples is weighed and the corresponding weight is used to establish the severity of the air pollution.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a broad class of human-made compounds manufactured since the 1950s that have been widely used in consumer products and industrial applications worldwide.

University at Buffalo’s (UB) goal is to optimize methods for the analysis of antimicrobials in soil, runoff water, and manure, to be used in the determination of the efficiency of antimicrobial mitigation by prairie strip integration.