water

New Material Offers sustainable Solution for “Forever ​Chemical” Removal

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called “forever chemicals” due too their persistence in⁢ the environment, pose a‌ significant​ threat to​ global water supplies. Conventional methods for removing these​ compounds are often inefficient, slow, ⁣and generate ⁣problematic‌ waste. Tho, researchers at Rice university, ​in collaboration‌ with Pukyung National University in South Korea, ‍have developed a novel material that⁢ promises a more effective and sustainable solution for both‍ capturing and destroying PFAS.

The breakthrough⁤ centers around a layered⁢ double ⁣hydroxide (LDH) material composed of copper and aluminum. Originally discovered in 2021 by Keon-Ham ​Kim while a graduate student‌ at the‌ Korea Advanced Institute of‍ Science and Technology (KAIST), the material’s potential ​was ⁤unlocked by ‌Youngkun‌ Chung, a postdoctoral fellow at Rice University. Chung ‍found that​ a specific​ formulation incorporating ‍nitrate exhibited extraordinary PFAS adsorption capabilities.

“To my astonishment, this LDH compound captured PFAS more than 1,000 times better than other materials,” Chung​ stated. The material⁤ also demonstrated remarkable speed,⁢ removing significant amounts of PFAS​ within minutes ⁢- approximately ⁢100 times faster than ⁤conventional carbon filters. This efficiency is attributed to the LDH’s unique structure: organized layers of copper⁣ and aluminum with ‌inherent‍ charge ⁣imbalances that strongly attract PFAS molecules.

Testing in various water sources – including river water,⁢ tap water, and⁣ wastewater – confirmed the material’s effectiveness in both static and continuous-flow systems, suggesting its suitability for large-scale applications like municipal water treatment and industrial ‍cleanup.

Beyond simply removing⁣ PFAS, the research‌ team, including Rice professors Pedro Alvarez and James‌ Tour, developed⁢ a method for its destruction. By heating​ the PFAS-saturated LDH material with calcium carbonate, they were‌ able to eliminate over half of the captured⁣ PFAS without‌ creating harmful byproducts.Crucially, the process also ⁢regenerates the LDH material, allowing ​for repeated use.‌

Preliminary results indicate the material can endure at least six cycles of‍ capture, destruction, and renewal,⁣ marking the first ‌known eco-pleasant and sustainable system for complete PFAS management. ‍

“We‍ are excited by the‍ potential of this⁢ one-of-a-kind LDH-based technology to transform how⁤ PFAS-contaminated water sources ‌are treated in the near ‍future,” said Michael S. Wong,​ a professor at Rice ⁢University’s George R. Brown School of engineering and Computing.

The research was⁤ supported⁣ by funding from ⁢the National⁢ Research Foundation of Korea, the National Convergence Research of Scientific Challenges, the Sejong Science Fellowship, Saudi ⁣Aramco-KAIST CO2 Management, the Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), the US‌ Army Corps ​of Engineers’ Engineering Research and Progress Center, the Rice ⁤sustainability Institute, and⁤ the Rice WaTER Institute.