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Improve water quality through meaningful, not just any, citizen science

* E-mail: [email protected]

Affiliation Rathenau Instituut, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, The Hague, The Netherlands

Affiliation HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

• Anne-Floor M. Schölvinck, 
• Wout Scholten, 
• Paul J. M. Diederen

Published: December 7, 2022

• https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pwat.0000065
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Citation: Schölvinck A-FM, Scholten W, Diederen PJM (2022) Improve water quality through meaningful, not just any, citizen science. PLOS Water 1(12): e0000065. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pwat.0000065

Editor: Debora Walker, PLOS: Public Library of Science, UNITED STATES

Copyright: © 2022 Schölvinck et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Water pollution is an urgent and complex problem worldwide, with many dire consequences for ecosystems, human health and economic development. Although policy measures in OECD countries have helped to reduce point source pollution, the situation is set to worsen: population growth and climate change are placing increasing pressures on the ability of water bodies to process wastewater, nutrients and contaminants [ 1 ].

For future generations to maintain a sufficient supply of clean drinking water and to retain a vital level of biodiversity, it is critical to involve the general public in dealing with the problems of water quality and water pollution. One specifically important and increasingly prominent way for the general public to get acquainted with water quality issues is through participation in research projects. All around the world numerous citizen science (CS) projects take place in the field of (drinking) water quality, hydrology, groundwater levels, and water biology [ 2 ]. In most cases these projects are motivated by the enormous potential volunteering citizens have to increase the temporal and spatial data availability. We argue that the value of many CS projects lies beyond data availability, in the broader societal benefits that these projects aspire or claim to achieve. In turn, these benefits could improve the way we approach water quality issues. The list of claimed and potential benefits is long: raising awareness, democratisation of science, development of mutual trust, confidence, and respect between scientists, authorities and the public, increased knowledge and scientific literacy, social learning, incorporation of local, traditional and indigenous knowledge, increased social capital, citizen empowerment, behavioural change, improved environment, health and livelihoods, and finally motivational benefits [ 3 ].

Many of these broader societal benefits of public engagement with water research are especially important to battle water related issues worldwide. Increased ‘water awareness’ among the public is needed to encourage a general sense of urgency and hence support for research investments and policy measures. In the Netherlands, like in many other countries, many citizens take safe and clean (drinking) water for granted [ 4 ]. Therefore, people are not sufficiently aware what investments are needed to provide safe tap water and what they themselves should do to reduce domestic water pollution. To truly counter the dangers of deteriorating water quality, water science and policy must be organised more inclusively and democratically.

The potential societal effect of CS in the water quality sector is substantial. In the Netherlands alone, more than 100,000 citizens volunteer as ‘sensors’ or observers in the numerous nature oriented research projects, in which they, for example, count aquatic animals or measure the chemical composition of river water. These projects are generally low-threshold, because the research tasks are relatively simple and adapted to the limited expertise and research skills of the participants. The large-scale and long-term monitoring done by volunteers would be unaffordable if carried out by professionals [ 5 ]. In other CS projects, though smaller in quantity, citizens have a larger degree of control. This is a gradual difference, typically divided in four categories, ranging from contributory (lowest level of control) to collaborative, co-creative and finally collegial [ 6 ]. Alternatively, these levels have been designated crowdsourcing, distributed intelligence, participatory science and extreme citizen science [ 7 ]. We consider all these levels of control as participating in research, even when the volunteers merely function as observers.

Although the potential benefits of citizen involvement with research projects are numerous and the potential societal impact is high, there are two main obstacles that must be overcome. First, the actual effects of these types of projects, other than the well-reported scientific benefits, remain largely unknown [ 3 , 8 , 9 ]. Do participants have an increased understanding of the concerns of water quality researchers? Do they flush fewer medicines down the toilet? Do they avoid using pesticides in their gardens? Moreover, in order to truly raise public awareness and support for policies addressing water quality, it is important to not only get people involved who are already interested in nature, water quality and/or scientific research. The challenge is to have a diverse group of participants and to involve hard-to-reach groups [ 10 ].

Second, the dominant picture of CS projects, in our own Dutch based study as well as all across the world [ 3 ], is that most citizens participate in the collection of research data. Recalling Shirk et al.’s typology of involvement [ 6 ], this can be considered the lowest level of control and participation. Researchers, policy makers and interest groups hope that this type of involvement will generate public support for more scientific research and more effective policy measures to improve water quality, but citizens performing more significant roles in the research process is still uncommon.

From our analysis, we draw three recommendations to overcome these obstacles and to move beyond CS in water research for the sake of research only, in order to make it more meaningful in a broader, societal sense. For a start, we recommend to thoroughly evaluate the effect of citizen science on the attitudes , behaviour and knowledge of participants and on the system as a whole . As mentioned above, and also pointed out by Somerwill & Wehn [ 9 ], ‘the exact impacts of citizen science are still to be fully and comprehensively understood, while up to date impact assessment methods and frameworks are not yet fully integrated in practice’. Since the potential and claimed benefits are substantial, there is a considerable responsibility to prove these effects and to improve CS project designs to stimulate the occurrence of these benefits. Recent work provides the necessary tools to guide professional researchers and citizens to build the right project designs [ 11 , 12 ], integrate working evaluations [ 9 ], and consider several factors for successful CS projects [ 2 ]. It also needs to be established how to include diverse groups of participants, including the ones with a low interest in nature and environmental issues.

Secondly, we recommend to involve participants more intensively in agenda setting and research design . Currently, the threshold to participate in CS projects tends to be fairly low, but so is the level of control and participation. Tasks of citizen scientists are typically limited and so is their sense of project ownership, although the likelihood of actual effects taking place increases with an increased degree of control for participants [ 3 ]. For instance, a number of projects report a rise or restoration of trust in local authorities and research institutions ‘due to the co-production process and the appreciation of local knowledge’ [ 3 , 13 ].

There is ample potential to increase participation to more shared decision-making on the purpose and design of the research. An important step would be to open up the drafting of research agendas to diverse groups of citizens and societal actors. This type of citizen involvement is already common practice in other fields of research. One might look at some research fields within health and healthcare studies as good practices. ‘Nothing about us without us’ has become a guiding principle, also within health research (see one of our other studies, on public engagement in psychiatry research [ 14 ]).

In the Netherlands, it is becoming common practice for experts by experience (current patients, recovered patients, patient associations) to have a seat at the table when funding decisions are made. Funding agencies increasingly demand applicants to demonstrate how they included patients or other experts by experience in the development of their research proposal. Funding agencies also include patient associations in the development of their research and funding agendas. These practices show that more shared-decision making processes are possible. We consider three conditions that are crucial for meaningful involvement: A) leadership and management of funding agencies to actively value and endorse public engagement leading to changes in their modus operandi; B) training and support for participating citizens, experts by experience and other societal stakeholders; C) researchers who do not regard public engagement as just another box to tick, but who truly integrate public engagement in their research design. This also means these researchers should be incentivised to integrate public engagement in their research, which points to necessary changes in the way they are recognised and rewarded [ 15 ].

Lastly, we recommend to employ public involvement as an extra stimulus for the practical application of knowledge . For professional scientists, the participation of volunteers in research has concrete value. They use the inputs to improve data availability, improve data quality and for their publications. For participants, the benefit is less tangible. Often, their only reward is the joy of the experience itself. However, as participants contribute more, there is a risk of exploitation. We emphasise that intrinsic motivations are most important for participants, but these motivations go beyond the joy of the experience, such as learning, environmental concern, making a difference, and social aspects of participation [ 2 , 16 ]. Rewards should fit these main drivers of participants for instance by showing how their engagement makes a difference, and by public acknowledgement for their work. A stronger incentive for participation could be provided by showing how the research contributes to the improvement of the (local) natural environment, water quality and biodiversity. Therefore, researchers should provide the volunteers with feedback about the results of the study to which they contributed. Beyond this act of courtesy, they should derive inspiration from the interaction with societal actors to focus more on the societal impact of their work. Some scholars emphasise how several motivations and effects of CS projects reinforce one another to create a desired upwards spiral (e.g. more knowledge and scientific literacy → more environmental concern → intrinsic motivation to make a difference → greater participation in CS projects → more knowledge and scientific literacy) [ 2 ], [ 3 ]. Professional scientists could and should play an active role in realising these societal effects.

In all, citizen science has great potential in water quality research. In fact, numerous projects already illustrate the value of CS to improve water quality around the world. It may help fight the dire threats of water pollution, by raising water awareness, strengthening public support for research, and ultimately for better policies and changes in behaviour. Yet, to reap success with citizen science fully, it should be purposefully designed for such broader societal goals. Therefore, efforts must be made to get a better understanding of the effects of research participation on volunteers, to involve citizen scientist in research agenda setting and the design of research projects, and to listen to them for the practical application of research results.

This article is based on the Dutch report Scholten W, Schölvinck AFM, Van Ewijk S, Diederen PJM. Open science op de oever–Publieke betrokkenheid bij onderzoek naar waterkwaliteit. The Hague: Rathenau Instituut; 2020. Available from: https://www.rathenau.nl/nl/vitale-kennisecosystemen/open-science-op-de-oever [ 17 ].

• 1. OECD. Diffuse Pollution, Degraded Waters: Emerging Policy Solutions. Paris: OECD; 2017.
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• 4. OECD. Water Governance in the Netherlands: Fit for the future? Paris: OECD; 2014.
• 15. Felt U. “Response-able practices” or “new bureaucracies of virtue”: The challenges of making RRI work in academic environments. In: Asveld L, Van Dam-Mieras R, Swierstra T, Lavrijssen S, Linse K, Van den Hoven J, editors. Responsible Innovation 3: A European Agenda? Cham: Springer; 2017. pp. 49–68.

Water pollution prevention and state of the art treatment technologies

• Published: 20 July 2020
• Volume 27 , pages 34583–34585, ( 2020 )

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• Chih-Huang Weng 1  

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This special issue (SI) of Environmental Science and Pollution Research (ESPR) includes a collection of 18 peer-reviewed articles relating to water quality and toxicity risk assessments, ecosystem protection, groundwater contamination assessment, soil and sediment remediation technologies, water treatment technologies, climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies, and control of carbon intensity that were formally presented at the 4th International Conference on Water Resources and Environment (WRE 2018), the 5th International Conference on Water Resources and Environment (WRE 2019), and the 1st International Conference on Advances in Civil and Ecological Engineering Research (ACEER 2019). WRE 2018 was held in I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, from July 17th to 21st, 2018. WRE 2019 was held in Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao, China, from June 16th to 19th, 2019. WRE conference started in 2015, when the first WRE was held in Beijing. As an annually held conference, the upcoming 6th WRE conference is prescheduled held in Tokyo, from 23rd to 26th, 2020; however, due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and for the safety of participants, WRE2020 will be held online via virtual presentation ( http://www.wreconf.org/index.html ). The WRE conference highlighted the needs to maintain the sustainability of indispensable water resources under increasing uncertainty and to protect the fragile water environments under the growing concern of intensive use of water we are facing today. While Civil Engineering provides us a better living environment, there is a need not only to protect our fragile environment but also to ensure it is sustainable for future generations. Thus, the initiation of ACEER 2019 is to emphasize links between civil engineering research and knowledge of ecological/environmental issues. The 2nd ACEER will be held on October 20th–23rd, 2020, in Beijing, China ( http://www.aceerconf.org/index.html ). The present SI of ESPR was guest-edited by Professor Chih-Huang Weng (I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan). The papers selected in this SI were based on the ones originally presented at the conference; however, having gone through the regular peer-review process of ESPR, the contents of those papers have been changed. A brief highlight of the papers included in this SI is as follows:

Constantly consumption of caffeine around the world has led to increase in caffeine concentration in water bodies and agricultural soil, and thus the impact of caffeine on the environment should not be ignored. Korekar et al. ( 2019 ) review the caffeine occurrence, its persistence and remediation.

Cui et al. ( 2019 ) compared the acute toxicity of five oil spill dispersants to three organisms at different trophic levels. They found dispersants with Fuken-2 and HLD-501 exhibiting no acute toxicity to all tested organisms.

Miao et al. ( 2019 ) applied the remote sensing technique to develop models of Canadian Water Quality Index (CWQI) scores from satellite data to assess the water quality for two major urban rivers within the Linyi development area. Such advanced assessment approach is effectiveness and robustness and can indicate actual water quality patterns.

Yeh et al. ( 2020 ) demonstrate that the synergistic heavy metal contamination degree of an industrially affected river and its adverse biological effects can be assessed by employing the heavy metal pollution index, the degree of contamination index, the contamination factor, the index of geo-accumulation, and hazard quotients. This assessment practice can be quite useful to provide a reference for establishing river pollution control and management strategies.

With the help of ionic tracers and employing the spiraling curve characterization approach and the Michaelis–Menten equation, Song and Song ( 2019 ) revealed that the dynamic absorption characteristics of NO 3 –N in a rural–urban ecotone channel is slightly influenced by the hydrological factors, but significantly influenced by the geomorphic features of the channel.

On the basis of a 23-year dataset of eleven cities in the Songhua River Basin, Wanhong et al. ( 2019 ) ultimately developed two econometric models to quantify the industrial wastewater discharge allowance and ecocompensation of the investigated cities, respectively. They suggested that the ecosystem can be protected via an emissions trading program, which permits the wastewater discharge allowance to trading market.

Sekine et al. ( 2020 ) proposed a user-friendly procedure for estimating the performance of river fish habitat evaluation based on the comparison of width-to-depth ratio and ecoenvironmental diversity. This procedure is of particular applicability to small river construction works.

Gao et al. ( 2019 ) highlights the anomalous As and F − concentration in the phreatic and confined groundwater of Xi’an city, China, was not only attributed to the upward flow of geothermal water through faults and ground fissures but also related to the anthropogenic activities.

Zhou et al. ( 2019 ) present a case study of using aquatic chemistry and isotopic composition of groundwater to trace groundwater circulation in the Xinchang preselected site (China) that has encountered geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste.

Technologies of treating gray water (GW) as reclaimed water is now available. Based on a 1-year laboratory-scale experiment, Ren et al. ( 2019 ) claimed that GW treated by both membrane bioreactor (MBR) and biological aerated filter (BAF) all meet the criteria of water reuse for toilet flushing, but using GW purified by MBR is more viable for toilet flushing.

Li et al. ( 2019 ) adopted a sequencing biofilm batch reactor (SBBR) to perform comparative study of four different carriers on ammonia and COD removal from the effluent of zero-discharge marine recirculating aquaculture system (MRAS). They concluded that the ceramsite-packed SBBR is feasible for MRAS wastewater treatment.

Pang et al. ( 2019 ) synthesized a novel composite, titanium dioxide/activated carbon (TiO 2 /AC), where AC derived from oil palm empty fruit bunch, that could achieve a significantly degradation efficiency of organic dye under ultrasonic irradiation. The TiO 2 /AC composite remained effective in dye degradation even after second catalytic cycle, showing the possible future applicability to textile industry.

The production of nanoparticles can be more environmental-friendly without the use of chemical compounds. Chan et al. ( 2019 ) present a green synthesizing route using Clitoria ternatea Linn aqueous extract as reducing and stabilizing agents for synthesizing the silver-doped zinc oxide (Ag-doped ZnO) nanoparticles. The biosynthesized Ag-doped ZnO nanoparticles could significantly enhance its sonocatalytic activity over ZnO nanoparticles based on the test results of Congo red degradation efficiency.

Le et al. ( 2019 ) revealed that progressive freezing is a cost-effective technology for draw solute recovery in forward osmosis process. They also provided mass transfer coefficients depended on the ice front speed and the stirring rates for the needs of future scaling up experiments.

Using magnetite-carbon black composites as a persulfate activator, Dong et al. ( 2019 ) revealed that such PS oxidation processes could effectively degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediment at circumneutral pH. They suggest that the cytotoxicity of the PAH degradation products assessed by the zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) embryonic cell line is more sensitive than human hepatoma carcinoma cell line.

Peng et al. ( 2019 ) found that poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA), an environmentally friendly washing reagent, is effective in removing heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Ni, and Cr) from metal-contaminated farmland soil. The efficacy of metal removal in the field pilot-scale tests is mainly governed by the order of γ-PGA concentration, washing time, liquid/soil ratio, and rotational speed.

Lee and Lin ( 2019 ) provide relationships between integrated vulnerability (biophysical and social) and personal ecological footprint of Taipei (urban) and Yunlin county (rural), Taiwan, for governments and communities to establish implementation strategies in risk areas to adapt and mitigate to climate change.

The carbon intensity of a country is closely related to its economic system. Based on a selection of 24 countries and application of endogenous growth model, Wang et al. ( 2020 ) revealed that countries with high or medium high income show convergence of carbon intensity; however, countries with medium or low income exhibit insignificant convergence tendency in carbon intensity.

Chan YY, Pang YL, Lim S, Lai CW, Abdullah AZ, Chong WC (2019) Biosynthesized Fe- and Ag-doped ZnO nanoparticles using aqueous extract of Clitoria ternatea Linn for enhancement of sonocatalytic degradation of Congo red. Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06583-z

Cui Z, Luan X, Li D, Li Q, Shuai L, Zheng L, Sun C, Wang G (2019) Comparative toxicity of five dispersants to test organisms at different trophic levels: Platymonas helgolandica, Ruditapes philippinarum, and Acinetobactersp. Tox2 . Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-04562-y

Dong CD, Tsai ML, Wang TH, Chang JH, Chen CW, Huang CM (2019) Removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated sediments by persulfate oxidation and determination of degradation product cytotoxicity based on HepG2 and ZF4 cell lines. Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-04421-w

Gao Y, Qian H, Wang H, Chen J, Ren W, Yang F (2019) Assessment of background levels and pollution sources for arsenic and fluoride in the phreatic and confined groundwater of Xi’an city, Shaanxi. China Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06791-7

Korekar G, Kumar A, Ugale C (2019) Occurrence, fate, persistence and remediation of caffeine: a review. Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06998-8

Le HQ, Nguyen TXQ, Chen S, Duong CC, Cao TN, Chang H, Ray SS, Nguyen NC (2019) Application of progressive freezing on forward osmosis draw solute recovery. Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06079-w

Lee Y, Lin S (2019) Vulnerability and ecological footprint: a comparison between urban Taipei and rural Yunlin. Taiwan Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05251-6

Li J, Zhu W, Dong H, Yang Z, Zhang P, Qiang Z (2019) Impact of carrier on ammonia and organics removal from zero-discharge marine recirculating aquaculture system with sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR). Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-04887-8

Miao S, Liu C, Qian B, Miao Q (2019) Remote sensing-based water quality assessment for urban rivers: a study in Linyi development area. Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-4038-z

Pang YL, Lim S, Lee RKL (2019) Enhancement of sonocatalytic degradation of organic dye by using titanium dioxide (TiO 2 )/activated carbon (AC) derived from oil palm empty fruit bunch. Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05373-x

Peng YP, Chang YC, Chen KF, Wang CH (2019) A field pilot-scale study on heavy metal-contaminated soil washing by using an environmentally friendly agent—poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA). Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-07444-5

Ren X, Zhang Y, Chen H (2019) Graywater treatment technologies and reuse of reclaimed water for toilet flushing. Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05154-6

Sekine M, Wang J, Yamamoto K, Kanno A (2020) Fish habitat evaluation based on width-to-depth ratio and eco-environmental diversity index in small rivers. Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08691-7

Song Y, Song S (2019) Spiralling curve characterization of nitrate–nitrogen absorption in a channel at a rural–urban ecotone in Northeast China. Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06354-w

Wang F, Yang F, Qi L (2020) Convergence of carbon intensity: a test on developed and developing countries. Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-09175-4

Wanhong L, Fang L, Fan W, Maiqi D, Tiansen L (2019) Industrial water pollution and transboundary eco-compensation: analyzing the case of Songhua River Basin. China. Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-07254-9

Yeh G, Hoang HG, Lin C, Bui XT, Tran HT, Shern CC, Vu CT (2020) Assessment of heavy metal contamination and adverse biological effects of an industrially affected river. Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-07737-0

Zhou Z, Wang J, Su R, Guo Y, Zhao J, Zhang M, Ji R, Li Y, Li J (2019) Hydrogeochemical and isotopic characteristics of groundwater in Xinchang preselected site and their implications. Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-07208-1

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Pitt’s Sustainable Design Lab is developing novel materials to combat global water pollution issues

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One in three people lacks access to safe drinking water . The finite limits of this resource make the growing presence of arsenic in groundwater, which supports the basic daily needs of 2.5 billion people worldwide , a pressing threat. 

“Arsenic contamination in water is a serious global issue but is a major concern of my country, Asian and developing countries, generally,” said Hassan Nawaz, a Pakistan-born environmentalist, exchange student and doctoral research scholar in the Pitt Swanson School of Engineering’s  Sustainable Design Labs .

Nawaz and engineering associate professor David Sanchez are finding new ways to remove arsenic from water without the cost and harmful byproducts of traditional approaches like sedimentation, chemical precipitation and iron oxide filters.

Arsenic is a chemical element found in the earth’s crust. Though relatively harmless in small doses, its long-term presence in drinking water has been directly linked to  cancer and other serious health problems . These issues are often exacerbated by industrial processes for developing textiles, glass, paper, ammunition and more.

Nawaz’s solution is to develop metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), three-dimensional grids of organic molecules and metals, to extract heavy metals from water. The team’s work is novel for both the materials it uses and how it can be put into action.  

“Our approach, our material is innovative, especially because we are focusing simultaneously on heavy metal and PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances),” said Nawaz. To his and Sanchez’s knowledge, the MOFs are the first to combine treatment of heavy metals and PFAS in water. This work is a part of environmental health scientist and School of Public Health Assistant Professor Alison P. Sanders ’ Rust to Resilience initiative, which recently received a Pitt Momentum Funds Scaling Grant to continue their research.

Conducting this work within the Sustainable Design Labs, recognized as a Pitt Green Lab for the team’s commitment to adopting best practices around reducing waste, reusing materials and recycling, means they are minimizing the environmental impact of their work. 

“MOFs are a promising alternative due to their high surface area and ability to be tailored for specific pollutants like arsenic,” Nawaz said, nodding to the potential for their designs to be customized to target heavy metals like lead, chromium and cadmium as well as  PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” which have been around since the 1950s in household items, packaging, clothing and more.

Their latest iteration of the MOF uses the rare earth metal lanthanum due to its adaptability to and potential for stronger interactions with targeted pollutants based on its unique electronic properties, an approach that proved effective in a 2023 publication .

“We tested it on arsenic, and it showed significant amounts of removal — over 90% removal for these heavy metals,” said Sanchez, who also serves as associate director for the  Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation . “We got into it because it is rather new and scalable in terms of application. But the ultimate goal is to enable and improve human quality of life for communities suffering from environmental pollution.”

Making an impact from Pittsburgh to Pakistan

Nawaz was inspired to study ways to address arsenic pollution during his upbringing in Pakistan, where the pollutant is an issue that affects around 60 million people . This designation came after researchers found that nearly two-thirds of groundwater samples collected in the country surpassed the WHO-recommended arsenic threshold of 10 micrograms per liter of water, with some readings reaching 20 times that amount.

Upon completing his coursework at the Government College University Faisalabad in Pakistan, Nawaz sought more resources to continue his work in the U.S. He applied for the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan’s International Research Support Initiative Program, which offers full-time doctoral students a research fellowship abroad. A requirement, Nawaz said, was to secure acceptance and a supervisor from a top-ranked university. He applied to ten schools, but having discovered Sanchez’s work online, said Pitt was his top choice.

The two met over Zoom to discuss Nawaz’s research and outline a plan. He arrived in Pittsburgh in 2023 and has secured additional funding through 2025. “I was very fortunate to connect with Dr. David,” he said.

Nawaz now plans to modify the design to increase the number of pollutants it can deal with. He dedicates eight hours each day in the lab during the week, and sometimes comes in on weekends. Time is of the essence, he said, as he is eager to bridge the gap between the research and communities that would benefit from practical application.

“Funds permitting, it would be helpful to collect more data on Pittsburgh’s water and samples from different industries,” he said, noting that his team has PFAS data on U.S. canals and rivers nationwide but would like to expand on the existing database for Pennsylvania . “I can check the water quality and apply the material against it.”

The city, he added, is ideal because it has three major rivers that intersect urban and rural landscapes, which can provide an authentic picture of the quality of the state’s water.

Ultimately, Nawaz and Sanchez envision deploying the MOFs in water treatment plants, industrial centers, superfund sites and communities facing environmental pollution. Even in this early phase, their work is sparking interest.

“We continue to publish our research and have had people from different countries reach out to us to request step-by-step guidance,” said Nawaz. “Collaboration will be essential to obtaining practical solutions and expanding our research [to ensure] we can customize our material designs for legacy and emerging contaminants.”

— Kara Henderson, photography by Tom Altany

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• Published: 19 November 1932

Water Pollution Research

• A. PARKER  

Nature volume  130 ,  pages 761–763 ( 1932 ) Cite this article

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THE growth of industry and of the population during the last century, especially in the north of England, gave rise to several undesirable conditions, including gross contamination of rivers, which in some cases became little better than open sewers. A plentiful supply of water of good quality for domestic and agricultural purposes is one of the major factors in public health, and large quantities of comparatively pure water are required for many industrial processes. Available sources, both surface and underground, of unpolluted water are gradually being depleted and there is no doubt that many rivers which are at present polluted will have to be utilised in the future as sources of supply, after treatment, for both domestic and industrial purposes. Further, the problems of river pollution are of importance in that they affect not only the health and recreations of the population but also the interests of farmers, landowners and fishermen. It is not surprising, therefore, that attention has frequently been directed to the need for satisfactory methods of preventing or reducing pollution.

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Water chemistry and water quality of a tidal river system in relation with riverbank land use pattern and regional climate in the southwest bengal delta of bangladesh.

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