This project aims to understand how harmful PFAS chemicals from firefighting foams interact with plants to improve plant-based cleanup of contaminated soils and water.
Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), widely used to extinguish fuel fires, contains per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that have led to widespread soil and water contamination at military bases, airports, and industrial sites. Large spills and repeated use have created persistent environmental and agricultural risks, especially in areas where farming continues despite contamination. There is a critical need to understand how PFAS interact with plants to support safe land use and develop effective plant-based remediation strategies. This project investigates how PFAS interact with plant tissues at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels using an interdisciplinary approach that combines environmental engineering, plant biology, and process-guided artificial intelligence. The goal is to identify plant traits, biological pathways, and environmental conditions that influence PFAS uptake, movement within plants, and sequestration across different PFAS types, including long-, short-, and ultra-short-chain compounds. The research will generate new insights into PFAS behavior in crops, informing both phytoremediation strategies for contaminated sites and risk assessment for agricultural systems exposed to PFAS.
