The problem of cleaning up toxic polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) pollution – commonly used in aviation fire-fighting foams, lubricants and non-stick and protective coatings – has been solved through the discovery of a new low-cost, safe and environmentally friendly method that removes PFAS from water.
The problem of cleaning up toxic polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) pollution – commonly used in aviation fire-fighting foams, lubricants and non-stick and protective coatings – has been solved through the discovery of a new low-cost, safe and environmentally friendly method that removes PFAS from water.
Researchers from the Flinders University Institute for NanoScale Science and Technology, in collaboration with the University of South Australia, have developed a new type of absorbent polymer, made from waste cooking oil and sulfur combined with powdered activated carbon (PAC).
In Australia, PFAS pollution – which does not break down readily in the environment – has been a hot news item due to the extensive historical use of fire-fighting foams containing PFAS at airports and defence sites, resulting in contaminated groundwater and surface water being reported in these areas.
While there have been few economic solutions for removing PFAS from contaminated water, the new polymer adheres to carbon in a way that prevents caking during water filtration. It works faster at PFAS uptake than the commonly used and more expensive granular activated carbon method, and it dramatically lowers the amount of dust generated during handling PAC that lowers respiratory risks faced by clean-up workers.
Read more at Flinders University
Image: Dr Justin Chalker, right, with Flinders University researcher Nicholas Lundquist testing metropolitan groundwater as part of work on a new paper just published online in American Chemistry Society journal ‘Sustainable Chemisty and Engineering’. (Photo Credit: SA Government Defence Innovation Partnership.)
