Lutz Ahrens
Professor, Division of Environmental Organic Chemistry and Ecotoxicology
My research is in the field of environmental and analytical chemistry, with a particular focus on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as well as the identification of emerging hazardous chemicals using advanced mass spectrometry techniques to support environmental early warning systems.
Presentation
I am a Professor of Environmental Organic Chemistry at the Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). My research focuses on the development of advanced analytical methods for detecting emerging organic pollutants—particularly PFAS—in environmental matrices. Utilizing state-of-the-art mass spectrometry techniques, including LC-MS/MS and LC-Orbitrap-MS, I investigate the sources, transport, fate, and remediation of these contaminants to support improved environmental monitoring and management.
Research
My research activities focus on:
- Investigation of the sources, transport mechanisms, and environmental fate of emerging organic pollutants, particularly per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
- Development of advanced remediation techniques for contaminated soil and water systems
- Design and validation of analytical and bioanalytical strategies for identifying emerging chemical contaminants in environmental matrices
- Identification of hazardous environmental chemicals through integrated toxicity and high-resolution mass spectrometry methods to support early warning systems
Current EU projects
- PARC: Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (EU Horizon-HLTH-2021-ENVHLTH-03-01) (co-applicant, Task Leader on Early Warning Systems)
- LIFE SOuRCE: Demonstration and evaluation of Sustainable On-site Remediation technologies for PFAS-ContaminatEd groundwater (co-applicant, WP leader)
- LIFE CAPTURE: Combining novel analytical protocols for PFAS contamination with technologies for sustainable remediation (co-applicant, WP co-leader)
Current national projects
- SIDWater: Sustainable innovative drinking water treatment solutions for large-scale water supply and reuse, Formas (PI Lutz Ahrens)
- PFASMAR: Artificial groundwater recharge – A shortcut for harmful poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) into groundwater systems and drinking water supplies – Can we avoid this? Formas (PI Philipp Wanner, GU)
- Novel methods and strategies to ensure safe drinking water, Formas (PI Johan Lundqvist, SLU)
- DRICKS: Competence centre for drinking water - Projects about Sources, prevalence, and treatment of hazardous chemicals in drinking water, Svenskt Vatten and others
- Remediation of PFAS-contaminated soil using air sparging, SGU and SGI (PI Lutz Ahrens)
- BioPFAS: Microbial degradation of PFAS for remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater, SGI Tuffo (PI Fritjof Fagerlund, Uppsala University)
The Enviornmental Organic Chemistry Group (seniors)
- Professor Karin Wiberg, Division leader
- Assoc. Prof. Foon Yin Lai, senior lecturer
- Assoc. Prof. Oksana Golovko, researcher
- Dr. Alberto Celma Tirado, researcher
- Dr. Georgios Niarchos, post-doc
- Dr. Javad Mottaghipisheh, post-doc
- Dr. Chen Xing, post-doc
- Dr. Rajneesh Gautam, post-doc
- Dr. Uzair Akbar Khan, post-doc
- Mia Lukaric, Laboratory manager
Research supervision (Post-docs)
present
- Rajneesh Gautam (main supervisor) (2024-present), SLU
- Javad Mottaghipisheh (main supervisor) (2023-present), SLU
- Chen Xing (main supervisor) (2023-present), SLU
- Georgios Niarchos (main supervisor) (2022-present), SLU
past
- Foon Yin Lai (main supervisor) (2018-2020), SLU
- Oksana Golovko (main supervisor) (2017-2020), SLU
- Pablo Gago Ferrero (co-supervisor) (2016-2018), SLU
- Meritxell Gross (co-supervisor) (2014-2015), SLU
- Atlasi Daneshvar (co-supervisor) (2012-2014), SLU
- Wen Qi Fan (co-supervisor) (2012), Environment Canada
Research supervision (PhD students)
present
- Harold Flores Quintana (co-supervisor) (2023-present), SLU
- Oscar Liljeström (main supervisor) (2022-present), SLU
- Tabea Mumberg (co-supervisor) (2022-present), University of Gothenburg
- Nicola Messinger (co-supervisor) (2022-present), Uppsala University
- Svante Rehnstam (main supervisor) (2021-present), SLU
- Sofia Lindblad (main supervisor) (2021-present), SLU
- Njelama Sanga (co-supervisor) (2021-present), Uppsala University
past
- Valentina Ugolini (co-supervisor) (2021-2025), SLU
- Daniel Malnes (co-supervisor) (2021-2023, licentiate), SLU
- Natnael Girma (co-supervisor) (2020-2023, licentiate), SLU
- Björn Bonnet (main supervisor) (2020-2025), SLU
- Sanne Smith (main supervisor) (2020-2023), SLU
- Winnie Nassazi (main supervisor) (2019-2023), SLU
- Georgios Niarchos (co-supervisor) (2018-2022), Uppsala University
- Frank Menger (main supervisor) (2017-2021), SLU
- Alina Koch (co-supervisor) (2016-2021), Örebro University
- Mattias Sörengård (main supervisor) (2016-2020), SLU
- Vera Franke (main supervisor) (2016-2020), SLU
- Hugo De Campos Pereira (co-supervisor) (2016-2022), SLU
- Wiebke Dürig (main supervisor) (2014-2021), SLU
- Rikard Tröger (co-supervisor) (2014-2021), SLU
- Minh Anh Ngyuen (co-supervisor) (2013-2017), SLU
- Jakob Gustavsson (co-supervisor) (2012-2017), SLU
Guest PhD students
- Théo Paris (2025-present), Université de Poitiers, France
- Jennifer Hooper (2025-present), University of Washington, USA
- Dauren Mussabek (2015-2021), Lunds University, Sweden
- Rachel Rice (2019), College of the Atlantic, USA
- Chao Guo (2021-2022), Yantai Institute of coastal zone research (YIC), China
- Maura Mancinelli (2022), International doctorate in Earth and Marine Sciences (EMAS), Italy
- Michel Hubert (2021-2022), Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), Norway
- Malhun Fakioglu (2021-2023), Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Turkey
- Hanna Jörss (2019-2020), Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Germany
- Anastasia Ivanova (2017-2019), Institute of Zoology, Moldova
Guest researcher/post-docs
- Dr. Pablo Gago Ferrero (2023-present), August T Larsson Guest Researcher, IDAEA-CSIC, Spain
- Dr. Aleksandra Skrobonja (2024-present), University of Belgrade, Serbia
- Dr. Grażyna Gałęzowska (2025), Gdańsk University of Technology, Poland
- Dr. Cristina Postigo (2019-2022), August T Larsson Guest Researcher, IDAEA-CSIC, Spain
Finalized projects
- PhytoRem: Phytoremediation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS)-contaminated soil and groundwater, SGI Tuffo (PI Lutz Ahrens)
- STOP-ARG: Stopping spreads of antibiotic resistance genes and antibiotics from on-site sewage facilities to the groundwater, Formas (PI Foon Yin Lai)
- FoodsecURe: Food security through better sanitation: The case of urine recycling, Norwegian Forskningsrådet (PI DGP Rodriguez, NIBO)
- A novel approach for the removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in drinking water by engineering metal-organic and covalent organic frameworks, Formas (PI Lars Öhrström, Chalmers)
- REASSURE: To reuse or not: is purified wastewater a non-toxic and sustainable resource for the future? Swedish EPA (PI Foon Yin Lai)
- Risk rankning of chemicals in drinking water - The Risk Thermometer: Svenskt Vatten (PI Anders Glynn, SLU)
- Sorption of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in soils – mechanisms and modelling, VR (PI J P Gustafsson)
- DANTE: Effect-directed analysis as a tool towards a non-toxic environment - identification of mixture effects and toxicity drivers in water, Formas (PI Johan Lundqvist, SLU)
- Rest to best: Biochar as solution and product in the circular and climate positive society, Vinnova (PI Lund municipality)
- Blackwater treatment and reuse as agricultural fertilizer, Formas (PI Meri Gros)
ITN PERFORCE3: Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances towards the future of research and its communication in Europe (Coordinator Ian T Cousins, ACES, Stockholm University, WP3 leader Lutz Ahrens) - Food waste to new food in an urban context: Formas (PI Malin Hultberg, SLU)
LakePOPs: Lake Mälaren – a lake for millions – but threatened as a natural resource for drinking water, Formas (PI Karin Wiberg) - SafeDrink: Integrated chemical and toxicological methods for early detection of hazardous chemicals in drinking water, Formas (PI Karin Wiberg)
- RedMic: Novel strategies to reduce diffuse emissions of micropollutants from on-site sewage facilities, Formas (PI Patrik Andersson, Umeå University)
Early detection of organic micropollutants in aquatic ecosystems (PI Lutz Ahrens, Foon Yin Lai, Oksana Golovko) - POPscreen: Identification of emerging organic pollutants in archived biota, Swedish EPA, Swedish EPA (PI Lutz Ahrens, Karin Wiberg)
- PFASs-Free: Innovative treatment techniques for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water, Formas (PI Lutz Ahrens)
- PFASs-PURE: Innovative treatment techniques for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in soil and groundwater, Vinnova (PI Lutz Ahrens)
- StopPFAS: In-situ remediation of PFASs based on sorption methods, SGI Tuffo (PI F Fagerlund, Uppsala University)
- NonHazCity: Innovative management solutions for minimizing emissions of hazardous substances from urban areas in the Baltic Sea Region, EU Interreg flagship project (PI Stockholm Stad, Tonie Wickman)
- Forest-POPs I: Legacy and emerging POPs in the Swedish forest, Formas (PI Karin Wiberg)
- Forest-POPs II: POPs in Swedish snow and boreal catchment waters, Oscar and Lili Lamms Minne (PI Karin Wiberg)