Using 3D printing, researchers developed lattices which removed up to 75 per cent of PFOA, one of the most common forever chemicals.
ADVERTISEMENTResearchers have designed a small block structure or monolith using 3D printing that can filter one of the most common “forever chemicals” in the water.
A team from the University of Bath in the UK used a special material called indium oxide and through 3D printing, made lattices to maximise the surface area and create small monoliths.
In three hours, the monoliths removed 53 per cent of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), one of the most common forever chemicals also called PFAS.
Moreover, by heating the monoliths at 500°C and reusing them three times, researchers observed that at least 75 per cent of PFOA was removed.
They published their results in The Chemical Engineering Journal.
“PFAS, or ‘forever chemicals’, are a major focus in water treatment and public health. We have created an efficient way to remove these chemicals from water without using lots of energy,” Dr Liana Zoumpouli, a research associate in the University of Bath’s Department of Chemical Engineering and one of the study’s authors, said in a statement.
“Using 3D printing to create the monoliths is relatively simple, and it also means the process should be scalable. 3D printing allows us to create objects with a high surface area, which is key to the process,” she added.
The four-centimetre-long structures are printed using a special ink containing ceramic indium oxide. By bonding with PFOA, indium oxide removes it from the water.
The authors noted that the three-hour timing is compatible with existing water treatment systems.
“Currently, these chemicals are not strongly regulated in the UK in drinking water, but there are guidelines, and we expect changes in policy quite soon. Water companies are likely to be looking at integrating systems to deal with them,” Professor Davide Mattia, another of the study’s authors, added.
“These are good efficiency rates, according to the publication,” Hugo Carronnier, a project manager specialising in PFAS at the pollution control company Valgo, told Euronews Next regarding this new technique.
“It's promising, we'll have to see how it develops in the future because it’s currently on a laboratory scale,” Carronnier, who didn’t take part in the study, added.
He said that the main issues the researchers will have to solve are whether the filters work on a large number of PFAS and if the researchers can increase the filters' "yield and speed of absorption" and manage the risk of creating waste.
Other elimination techniques like the one developed by Valgo called bio foam fractionation are reaching a 98 to 99 per cent removal rate of PFAO.
Rising concerns about forever chemicals' impacts on health
PFAS are called forever chemicals because they don't break down easily in the environment.
ADVERTISEMENTInitially used for their non-stick and water-repellent properties, PFAS have been widely used in countless products, from cookware to firefighting foams, clothes and cosmetics.
PFAS have found their way into the environment through a variety of pathways such as wastewater discharges, landfills or air emissions.
PFAS pose a serious threat to both ecosystems and human health, having been linked to kidney and testicular cancer, liver damage, thyroid disease, weakened immune systems, and reproductive problems.
