From lab to local impact: UQ researchers tackle PFAS with ON Prime support
Researchers from the University of Queensland’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology are calling for global benchmarking to fast-track PFAS research and remediation efforts.
PFAS – or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, also known as ‘forever chemicals’ – is the umbrella term used to describe the thousands of man-made chemicals used in everyday products, from clothing and non-stick cookware to food packaging.
Their resistance to oil, water, stains and heat has made them essential in industries like retail and aerospace, but the bonds that make PFAS so durable also make them extremely difficult to break down, leading to growing environmental and health concerns.
AIBN researcher Dr Cheng Zhang said PFAS contamination is a critical global issue, with high levels detected in groundwater, drinking water, landfill leachate, soils, biosolids, and even in the organs of wildlife and humans.
In Australia, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is working to update national PFAS guidelines around drinking water, a step Dr Zhang acknowledges as an important step forward.
To accelerate research efforts, Dr Zhang and his team have released a new paper calling for standardised reporting in PFAS research.
“We’ve developed world-first technology using a specialised sorbent to remove PFAS from groundwater and leachate,” he said.
“But without benchmark data, it is very difficult to compare its performance against other studies.
“That’s why we’re urging the research community to adopt global standards – so we can refine and scale up this critical technology.”
“Our project is about more than research – it’s about finding solutions that directly address some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.”
Dr Zhang is joined by AIBN's Dr Zicheng Su on the project that is backed by $1 million from the Advance Queensland Industry Research Projects program and supported by industry partners GHD and OCTA.
From lab to local impact: UQ researchers tackle PFAS with ON Prime support
By the time Dr Cheng Zhang and his colleagues at The University of Queensland’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) joined CSIRO’s ON Prime program, their PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or ‘forever chemicals’) sorbent was already showing promise in the lab. What they hadn’t yet figured out was how to make it matter outside of it.
“We knew we had something with potential, but potential isn’t the same as impact,” says Zhang.
Zhang, an experienced materials scientist, brought more than academic knowledge to the table. As an ARC DECRA Fellow (and former NHMRC CJ Martin Fellow), he spent a couple of years at the University of California, Santa Barbara, working on PFAS remediation in collaboration with global chemical giant DuPont’s spin-off company, Chemours.
“That experience opened my eyes to the real-world urgency and complexity of PFAS contamination, especially in the U.S., where regulatory pressure and public scrutiny are intense,” Zhang explains.
“It also helped me understand what industry needs in a solution.”
Today, that same lab-developed polymer has evolved into a bead-like, reusable sorbent material capable of selectively capturing PFAS, the persistent “forever chemicals” plaguing landfill leachate, biosolids, and wastewater worldwide.
It’s a leap forward in PFAS remediation, where most existing solutions either clog, degrade, or fail in complex environments.
What changed? A mindset shift, sparked by completing the ON Prime program.
Where science meets scale
Dr Zhang’s team, comprising of himself and post-doctoral colleagues, Dr Zicheng Su and Dr Xiao Tan, had already made significant technical progress. They’d advanced their formulation from a powder prone to clogging to a sleek, bead-like material ideal for continuous flow treatment.
They’d scaled up production from milligrams to kilograms, an impressive feat within the confines of a research lab.
“But we hadn’t tested our thinking with real users,” Zhang reflects. “ON Prime taught us to stop talking at industry and start listening to them.”
Over several weeks in the program, the team refined their value proposition, engaged with stakeholders across the water and waste industries, and began validating use cases outside of academia. What they learned reshaped their trajectory.
The biggest insight?
“Industry isn’t looking for a paper. They’re looking for a product.”
Pilot ambitions and startup plans
Armed with user feedback and a clear problem-solution fit, the team is now preparing for their first pilot deployment, supported by the Queensland Government’s Advanced Queensland initiative.
Potential sites include large-scale infrastructure locations like Brisbane or Gold Coast Airport, where PFAS remediation is both urgent and highly visible.
In parallel, they’re working with UniQuest, The University of Queensland’s commercialisation arm, to explore startup pathways and attract future investment. If successful, their technology could hit the market within the next three to five years.
“We’ve come a long way, but we’re still in the middle of the journey,” says Zhang. “Demonstrating effectiveness at scale is the next big step.”
Lessons for other researchers
The team is quick to credit ON Prime for its role in changing how they approach impact.
“Every researcher should experience this,” says Zhang. “It’s not about becoming a businessperson overnight. It’s about learning how to frame your science in a way that’s meaningful to others.”
His advice?
“Think bigger. Listen early. And always ask: Who does this help? And how do we make that help real?”
The PFAS problem isn’t going away anytime soon, but with teams like this one combining deep science with sharp focus, solutions are starting to emerge.
Interested in your own ON Prime journey?
It’s not about commercialising tomorrow. It’s about understanding what problems your research could help solve today; and connecting with the people who need it most.
See if it’s right for your team: csiro.au/ON-Prime
This article was written and provided by CSIRO