The National Science Foundation Division of Chemistry awarded Utah State University $425,000 on January 1, 2027, under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049) to investigate the photochemistry of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and carboxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface waters impacted by wildfires.
Professor Kyle Moor and his students will use laser spectroscopy—including singlet oxygen phosphorescence and transient absorption—to measure the photosensitizing abilities and photolysis kinetics of these wildfire-generated aromatic compounds in aqueous environments. The research will determine singlet oxygen formation quantum yields and triplet excited state properties including triplet lifetimes and intersystem crossing quantum yields. The team will also characterize the photosensitization abilities of pyrogenic dissolved organic matter created from realistic wildfire chars. The work aims to advance understanding of how wildfires impact drinking water supplies and to inform efficient water treatment strategies in downstream rural and urban communities, with potential to limit disinfection byproduct formation and protect human health. Undergraduate and graduate students will receive interdisciplinary training in wildfire science.
Performance will take place in Logan, Utah from January 1, 2027, through December 31, 2029. This is a Project Grant assistance type.