Join us for our next seminar of 2025.

February 19, 4pm ET

Title: Electrochemical Degradation of GenX – Study on the Contribution of Electrooxidation and Electroreduction to the Overall Reaction

with

Dr. Kara Hughes, PhD

Product Development Specialist

Bio:

Kara has always been fascinated by science and understanding how things work. Her passion lies in developing sustainable solutions to everyday challenges in a way that fosters progress and innovation. This drive led her to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Ottawa, followed by a PhD at McGill University under the guidance of Professor Viviane Yargeau.

Throughout her academic journey, Kara has made significant contributions to scientific research, authoring nine publications in major journals, including three as the first author. After completing her doctorate, she secured a position as a Product Development Specialist at Terragon Environmental Technologies.

Abstract:

Per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) are a group of anthropogenic chemicals that are characterized by the CnF2n+1 bond moiety which leads to several useful properties for industrial and commercial use. These chemical characteristics are also associated with their recalcitrance, making them difficult to remove from the environment, especially water systems, using conventional treatment methods. This, combined with the fact that PFAS have been found to have negative impacts on human health and the environment, makes their removal from water a pressing issue.

This research focused on the electrochemical degradation of GenX, a more recently introduced PFAS, to study the contribution of both electrooxidation and electroreduction to its overall degradation. Boron doped diamond was used as the anode while different materials (Ti, Au and Cu) were investigated for the cathode. It was found that out of the three, copper had the best performance by a small margin. The different current densities studied indicated that the degradation efficiency increased with the current density. Electrooxidation was found to contribute more to the overall degradation but the contribution of electroreduction was still significant. Finally, the degradation of GenX was studied in different water matrices and it was determined that the degradation efficiency in real water matrices was better than in reverse-osmosis water.

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Our monthly online seminar series, features STEMM scholarship from across disciplines, aimed at a general STEMM audience.

All are welcome!

• 4pm ET
• Third Wednesday of every month
• October 2024 through May 2025.

Register once and we will remind you each month.

Watch this space for seminar speaker announcements!

• March 19
• April 16
• May 21

The CBSN/RCSN gratefully acknowledges the University of Toronto Scarborough and its support as the Network Host Institution, and the Academic Program Committee of the Network for the BE-STEMM Seminar Series.