A team of researchers became the first to remove the full spectrum of dangerous "forever chemicals" from water in a single process.
The University of Illinois scientists unveiled the groundbreaking results in the journal Nature Communications.
At the heart of the researchers' challenge was PFAS, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, that finds its way into our water, food, and soil with dangerous results. From there, it enters our bodies, and it has been linked to health issues like cancer, and infertility risk.
The "forever chemicals" moniker is well-earned as PFAS "usually take hundreds or thousands of years to break down," per the World Economic Forum.
The research team specifically targeted a solution to address the "growing industrial problem" of PFAS contaminating water in semiconductor manufacturing, per the news release.
The University of Illinois team had previously shown success using electrosorption to remove short- and long-chain PFAS. That method failed to capture ultra-short-chain PFAS, which is why they turned to redox electrodialysis, a desalination filtration technology.
"The challenge was to produce an efficient, effective electrodialysis system to capture the ultra-short-chain PFAS, have it work in tandem with the electrosorption process for the longer-chain PFAS, destroy them with electrochemical oxidation, and make it happen within a single device," explained study leader Xiao Su.
The team landed on an optimal configuration via experimentation where all of the PFAS were removed simultaneously and concentrated together "making them easier to destroy once captured," Su said.
The scientists then used an electrochemical oxidation process to destroy the PFAS molecules by transforming them to fluoride ions, thereby eliminating the threat.
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Other researchers, like a team at the University of Rochester, have similarly been pushing the boundaries of PFAS removal with innovative methods.
As scientists continue to learn more about the dangerous risks that PFAS exposure poses, the urgency to develop more efficient and effective removal methods is on the rise.
The forever chemicals are, unfortunately, ominously cropping up more in our tap water, and in high prevalence in vulnerable communities. Areas near military bases are at heightened risk due to their use of PFAS-leaking firefighting foam in training exercises and emergencies.
If exposure via water wasn't bad enough, foods like white rice, coffee, and eggs are also linked to concerning levels of PFAS.
Small steps consumers can take to lower their risk include removing food quickly from PFAS-laden takeaway containers, avoiding nonstick cookware featuring the chemicals, and seeking out PFAS-free products.
Efforts like those of the University of Illinois' researchers can ideally mitigate the risk from industrial processes and wastewater. The research team has high hopes its method can quickly grow from the lab to major applications.
"This work is very timely due to interest from the U.S. government, wastewater treatment facilities and the semiconductor industry," Su asserted.
Su pointed to anticipated growth in the semiconductor industry and said stopping PFAS contamination will become a "major issue" to facilitate "sustainable production" in the future.
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