Kate Faber
University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, PhD
Fiessinger Doctoral Scholar 2024
Tracking the Destruction of Industrial PFAS Wastes with 19F NMR
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large class of contaminants that are found throughout waste management systems, including in landfilled material, landfill leachate, compost, industrial and municipal wastewater, and biosolids. Because PFAS are such a diverse group of chemicals, conventional targeted analytical methods often fail to detect large fractions of PFAS. Incomplete PFAS characterization limits our ability to assess the extent of PFAS contamination, develop appropriate treatment and remediation strategies, and understand related risks to human and ecological health. Fluorine nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (19F NMR) is an inclusive, nontargeted method that can capture PFAS that are missed by conventional methods. 19F NMR can also detect other emerging fluorinated contaminants, such as pesticides and pharmaceuticals, in a single total organofluorine analysis. We are developing a total organofluorine method using 19F NMR for application to waste industry samples. Additionally, 19F NMR can be usedin binding experiments to explore how PFAS interact with macromolecules, information that can guide the design of sorbents and inform our understanding of PFAS fate. We anticipate that total organofluorine measurements made with 19F NMR will offer quantitative and qualitative insight into the diversity of PFAS present in different waste streams.
Biography
Kate Faber is a PhD student in the University of Minnesota Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering. Kate earned her BA in Chemistry from Carleton College in 2018 with undergraduate research experience in atmospheric analytical chemistry. Her interest in waste management was sparked while working as a paralegal at an environmental law firm, where she was part of an insurance litigation team working to fund remediation of sites contaminated by industrial waste. Kate also worked as a staff researcher in the University of Washington Department of Bioengineering. In 2022, she joined Dr. William Arnold’s lab at the University of Minnesota, earning her MS in Civil Engineering in 2024. Kate’s research develops innovative methods for analysis of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) using fluorine nuclear magnetic resonance. In 2024, she interned at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency as a Research Trainee in UMN’s NSF-funded Circularity Impact Program, where she analyzed PFAS inputs to the Mississippi River and their implications for wastewater permitting.
