Overview
A field trial published in the Journal of Chromatography A (Volume 1783, Article 467140) has demonstrated that PFAS contamination in soil, water, and soil pore-water can be screened on-site in under six hours using a van-mounted portable liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) system. The research was led by Dr. Ibraam Mikhail from HyTECH, the University of Tasmania’s industry-linked analytical science training centre, in collaboration with Melbourne-based Trajan Scientific and Medical. The trial was conducted at Barilla Rivulet in Cambridge, Tasmania, a site with a documented history of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) contamination.
For context, standard NATA-accredited laboratory turnaround times for PFAS analysis typically range from five to ten working days, and in some cases longer when sample volumes are high or specialist analysis is required. That delay has long been one of the most disruptive constraints in contaminated land investigations, particularly where active earthworks, property transactions, or regulatory deadlines are in play. The UTAS trial demonstrates that a portable LC-MS system can be set up in under 20 minutes, screen for ten key PFAS compounds simultaneously across three sample matrices, and produce field data within a single working day. This positions the technology as a credible field screening tool, though the researchers are explicit that confirmatory analysis by an accredited laboratory remains necessary for regulatory purposes.
The significance of this development extends well beyond analytical chemistry. For environmental practitioners managing complex, multi-stage PFAS investigations, the ability to make real-time, data-driven sampling decisions during a single field mobilisation represents a fundamental shift in how site characterisation programmes are designed and executed. For clients, including property developers, infrastructure owners, local councils, and transacting parties, the reduction in project downtime and remobilisation costs carries direct commercial value. Understanding what this technology can and cannot do is now a practical literacy requirement for anyone commissioning or managing a PFAS site investigation in Australia.
Key details of the UTAS portable PFAS LC-MS field trial
The mobile laboratory demonstrated in the UTAS trial is built around portable liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry technology supplied by Trajan Scientific and Medical, a Melbourne-based manufacturer of analytical instrumentation. The complete system fits inside a standard van and can be operational on-site within 20 minutes of arrival. During the Barilla Rivulet trial, the system simultaneously screened for ten key PFAS compounds across three distinct sample matrices: surface water or groundwater, soil, and soil pore-water. The ability to analyse all three matrices concurrently in a single field session is technically significant because PFAS compounds do not behave uniformly across environmental media.
PFAS compounds vary substantially in their environmental mobility. Longer-chain compounds such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) tend to sorb more strongly to soil organic matter and fine-grained sediments, while shorter-chain compounds and precursors can migrate rapidly through the vadose zone and into groundwater. Soil pore-water analysis, which captures the dissolved-phase PFAS fraction within the unsaturated zone, is particularly informative for understanding mass transfer between soil and groundwater. By profiling all three matrices simultaneously, the mobile LC-MS unit provided the trial team with a real-time picture of plume dynamics, including how and where individual compounds were partitioning and migrating across the Barilla Rivulet study area. The trial data revealed that PFAS was unevenly distributed across the site, which is consistent with the heterogeneous migration behaviour these compounds exhibit in complex soil profiles.
From an analytical performance standpoint, the researchers note that the portable system is designed for rapid field screening rather than full quantitative compliance analysis. The results are intended to guide real-time sampling decisions and delineation strategies, with final regulatory sign-off still requiring confirmatory testing at a NATA-accredited laboratory using validated methods. This is an important distinction. The value proposition is not the elimination of laboratory analysis but the compression of the iterative cycle between field mobilisation, sample dispatch, laboratory turnaround, data review, and remobilisation. Where that cycle currently takes between two and four weeks per iteration, on-site screening compresses it to a single day. For a complex PFAS investigation requiring multiple rounds of step-out sampling, the cumulative time saving across a project can be measured in months rather than days.
The trial also demonstrated an application relevant to active remediation projects. During soil washing, excavation, or groundwater extraction and treatment operations, contractors and project managers currently face delays in verifying treatment performance because samples must be dispatched to a laboratory before a go/no-go decision can be made. Sub-six-hour on-site results allow treatment verification to occur within a single shift, avoiding contractor standby costs and reducing the risk of over-excavation or premature sign-off on treatment performance.
Australian context: PFAS NEMP 3.0, NEPM 2013, and ANZG 2018 implications for field screening
Australia’s primary national framework for PFAS site investigation and risk assessment is the PFAS National Environmental Management Plan, currently at version 3.0 (PFAS NEMP 3.0, released March 2025). The PFAS NEMP 3.0 sets out investigation trigger values, risk assessment methodologies, and reporting requirements that govern how PFAS investigations must be conducted and documented across Australian jurisdictions.
References and related sources
- Primary source: www.miragenews.com
- nit.com.au
- news.cn
- pfasproject.com
- wateronline.com
- PFAS National Environmental Management Plan (NEMP)
- NEPM Assessment of Site Contamination
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This is an iEnvi Machete news summary. Prepared by iEnvi to summarise the source article for contaminated land, groundwater, remediation, approvals and site risk professionals.
Published: 24 Jul 2026
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