UQ, CSIRO Join Forces to Combat Forever Chemicals

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 inside the lab. What they hadn't yet figured out was how to make it matter outside.

"We knew we had something with potential, but potential isn't the same as impact," said Zhang.

An experienced materials scientist, Zhang 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 explained.

"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 selective 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, including post-doctoral colleagues Dr Zicheng Su and Dr Xiao Tan , had already made significant technical progress. They had advanced their formulation from a powder prone to clogging to a sleek, bead-like material ideal for continuous flow treatment.

They had 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 said. "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. 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 Advance 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," said 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," said 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.