2023 Pathfinder Innovation Project Awardees
Congratulations to the 2023 PIPs Winners!
Pathfinder Innovation Projects (PIPs) challenge EPA scientists to answer the question, "Wouldn't it be amazing if we could ... ?" The internal competition provides staff time and seed funding in pursuit of high-risk, high-reward research ideas. The 19 selected 2023 Pathfinder Innovation Projects cover a range or topics including harmful algal blooms, climate change, and sustainability. Over the past 11 years EPA has funded 138 PIPs, many of which have led the Agency in new, transformational directions. Please find the 2023 awardees and projects listed below.
Concentrating Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)-Enriched Concentrates using Microwave
Separating PFAS via membrane processes is becoming a technology of choice for the water purification industry, however it generates problematic levels of concentrated PFAS contaminated waste streams. This project aims to develop a quick process of using microwave evaporation to reduce the volume of these PFAS-enriched waste streams for disposal.
Developing Road Dust Reference Materials
Traffic activities such as tire wear have emerged as a major source of pollution, yet the EPA community is lacking an in-matrix reference material (RM) for road dust that can be used to accurately quantitate 6-ppd quinone, microplastics in tire particles, and metals including Platinum Group Elements (PGE)s. This project aims to produce an in-house reference material that can be used across the many EPA regions studying the characterized analytes.
Development of Reporter Macrophages for Inflammatory Environmental Water Samples
Current technologies for monitoring Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) focus on toxin producing bacteria, often overlooking nontoxin producing blooms that can cause respiratory, dermal and gastrointestinal inflammation. This PIP aims to develop a single step assay using macrophages with fluorescent proteins to facilitate rapid detection of such blooms and other inflammatory substances.
Equipping the EPA R/V Lake Explorer 2 to be a Great Lakes Underway Water Quality Laboratory
Only one ship on the Great Lakes currently monitors water quality while underway, but it lacks a responsive physical subsampling technique and an integrated contaminant sampling platform. This PIP aims to develop and test a flow-through system to regularly sample lake water quality in space and time to better understand the Great Lakes ecosystem.
Field Applicable Soil Lead Remediation Methods that are Stable Long-Term
Lead (Pb) is a persistent contaminant in soils with severe health implications, especially for the brain development of children ≤5. There are currently no effective means of rectifying this issue other than soil excavation, which costs more than $1 million per acre and causes irreparable damage to soil ecosystems. This project aims to apply a new laboratory developed methodology for converting soil into plumbojarosite (PLJ) – a highly insoluble and biologically unavailable Pb trapping mineral –across chemically and geochemically heterogenous soils to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach. The project will use in vitro and in vivo models to assess the bioavailability of the generated PLJ.
Fire's Role in Fungal Pathogen Dispersal and Distribution
Current evidence suggests a possible association between invasive fungal infections and wildfires. This project investigates fire’s role in the distribution of inhalable fungi to establish a mechanism of dispersal and provide current information on the range expansion of fungal pathogens in the western U.S.
Forecasting Toxic Cyanobacterial Blooms Using a Novel Molecular Sediment Profiling Approach in Multi-Purpose Tropical Lakes
Cyanobacterial blooms (CB) are documented every year in numerous water systems, yet the specific factors that result in environmental cyanotoxin levels are not fully understood, particularly in tropical waters. Current methods depend on year-by-year water quality sampling/monitoring. This project will apply a polyphasic-based framework to identify early warning genetic signals of toxic cyanobacterial blooms using these samples and a competitive hybridization approach called “Genome Fragment Enrichment” (GFE) to identify genes that are only present in toxic blooms or non-toxic blooms.
"Memory Chip”: A Tiered, In Vitro Approach to Evaluating Chemical Effects on Processes Underlying Learning and Memory in Human Neural Networks
Learning and memory, which are sensitive to developmental neurotoxicants, are key features of many neurodevelopmental diseases such as ADHD and autism. However, current methodologies do not assess learning and memory, leaving a critical gap in our ability to characterize potential neurotoxicity hazard. This PIP aims to develop a “PCR Scorecard” assay that quickly and economically identifies the effect of chemicals on learning and memory.
Novel Workflow for Investigating Whole-Microbiome Stress Response and Evolution During Wastewater Treatment
Water resources near wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) exhibit elevated levels of antimicrobial resistance, but there is no focused research effort to study the role of WWTP processes in disseminating antimicrobial resistance. This project aims to increase the understanding of the mechanisms driving the evolution of antimicrobial resistance in wastewater environments.
On-Demand TAED-Generated Peracetic Acid for Wet Weather Disinfection
Combined sewer/stormwater infrastructure is significantly stressed during wet weather events, resulting in wastewater system overflows and illicit discharges. A primary concern of these is the release of bacterial and viral pathogens into our waterways. This PIP aims to use Peracetic Acid (PAA) generated onsite from the mixing of tetraacetylethylenediamine (TAED) and sodium percarbonate with wastewater to serve as “on-demand” disinfection of these dynamic and unpredictable sources.
Pinning Down Active Mobile Source Driven 6PPD-Quinone
6PPD-Quinone is a toxicant in urban runoff that kills coho salmon within hours at 0.1 ppb concentrations. It’s currently unknown if the predominant release of 6PPD-Q is from automobiles or asphalt. This project aims to measure 6PPD-Q emissions from tire wear at an hourly resolution using a University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) designed high time resolution aerosol sampler- the Semicontinuous Elements in Aerosol Sampler (SEAS). This time-resolved system will preserve any temporal hot spots and possibly spatial detail that is also being masked in the current high volume ambient samplers. This information will support primary source identification of 6PPD-Q salmon mortality events.
Plasma-Based Destruction of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Membrane, Anion Exchange, and Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) Concentrates
Significant research efforts have been devoted towards the removal, degradation, and destruction of PFAS in various environmental matrices. Yet, an efficient and cost-effective method that degrades PFAS remains elusive. This project aims to develop a hybrid aerosol-based plasma-enabled degradation technique for the cost-effective remediation of membrane, anion exchange, and Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) concentrates containing PFAS.
Quantifying Landfill CH4 Emissions from Space
Based on EPA models, landfills are the third largest anthropogenic source of methane (CH4) emissions to the atmosphere, after agriculture and fuel production. However, these models have high uncertainty. This PIP will leverage an existing NASA funded project with GHGSat (commercial vendor) to evaluate landfill CH4 emissions. This project will compare satellite, ground, and modeled CH4 emissions to determine the best regulatory monitoring approach of this source.
Quantitative Species Profiling of the Avian Diet Using TempO-Seq to Support Contaminant Dosimetry and Food Web Modeling
Current approaches to evaluate the presence of species in environmental matrices using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding are semi-quantitative, vulnerable to bias, and relatively expensive. A truly quantitative analysis of diet contents allows for a better picture of a species food web and potential risk pathways. This project will use TempO-Seq technology to determine if it can quantify species composition of a mixed insect species sample mimicking that of an insectivore species diet. If effective this would provide a cheaper, faster, more quantitative means to characterize the diversity of species consumed by insectivorous birds and also has far reaching potential to advance quantitative applications of eDNA analysis more generally.
Recycling Single-Use Plastic Packaging Using Supercritical Alkanes and Alkenes (SCA)
Packaging plastics are responsible for about 20% of waste plastic, particularly in a waste stream that is largely seen as non-recyclable, difficult to collect, and a challenge to separate from mixed waste streams. The project proposes using Supercritical Alkanes and Alkenes (SCA) to address the challenges of difficult-to-recycle plastics (PE, iPP) – separating additives, contamination and multi-layer films.
Roof-Rainwater Contaminants Sensing-Recording-Grading System
Roof rainwater harvesting (RWH) has gained popularity as a way of supplementing water supplies, however, there is a current lack of comprehensive water quality data. This PIP aims to innovate a RWH-quality real-time monitoring sensor system to support ORD’s efforts to develop and advance low-cost water sensors.
Satellite Detection of River Foam as a Proxy for PFAS Presence
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pose significant risks to human health and are prevalent and pervasive in the environment, particularly to drinking water resources. Understanding the occurrence of PFAS in waterways is crucial, but sampling programs don’t tend to provide frequent or spatially extensive enough data to adequately protect human health. Many products in the PFAS family are surfactants, forming foam under turbulent conditions. This project will determine if foam from effluent streams may be prevalent enough to be observable via satellites and used as a proxy indicator for PFAS. This PIP will first establish whether river foam is readily observable via satellite sensing.
Science to Bridge Health Issues from Troubled Waters
Cyanobacterial blooms produce various cyanotoxins in aqueous environments but understanding the mechanisms of their potential aerosolization and subsequent toxicity outcomes are only beginning to be studied. There are no public health guidelines or scientific reports on pulmonary exposure and resulting health impact of these blooms. This project aims to collect and quantify aerosolized cyanobacterial/toxin samples and evaluate them for lung toxicity.
Stopping Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms Before They Start
Current harmful cyanobacterial blooms (HCBs) control measures rely on the addition of toxic algicides only once the bloom is fully developed. This project aims to demonstrate that HCBs can be prevented by applying their proven HCB forecasting system and the timely application of non-toxic and non-bioaccumulating agents to suppress the HCB.