Dr. Adi Radian and post-doctoral fellow Dr. Samapti Kundu of the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering developed a fast, efficient technology for removing dangerous PFAS from drinking water.
PFAS are a family of pollutants known as “forever chemicals.” They remain intact in the ground for a long time, leading to extensive contamination of drinking water sources, which in turn significantly increases human exposure. Found in a wide range of products, these substances reach the groundwater in various ways, including agricultural irrigation using treated wastewater, and fire-fighting substances seeping into the soil. International studies have demonstrated the many health risks posed by exposure to PFAS, including cancer, heart and liver disease, fertility problems, birth defects, and damage to the immune system.
Safe solution to “forever chemicals”
Dr. Radian and Dr. Kundu combined two methods that individually do not achieve satisfactory results. Their innovative method separates the pollutants with special polymers and then uses advanced oxidation processes that destroy the pollutants and create non-toxic substances. This combination efficiently removes the PFAS and does not release unwanted substances into water used for drinking.
The researchers found that the method removed seven types of PFAs at close to 90% efficiency within minutes, using safe, inexpensive soil minerals together with cyclodextrin polymers. This system makes it unnecessary to carry out complementary processes such as heating, UV radiation, and using sound waves, which would make the process more complicated and more expensive.