Engineers at the University of British Columbia created something that can completely rid your drinking water from any bad chemicals. It’s like a Brita filter, only better! Professor Madjid Mohseni created this technology and it works amazingly well.
Forever chemicals, also called PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances), are found in lots of objects around us. They give products non-stick and stain-resistant properties. There are over 4,700 different types of PFAS that you can find in stuff such as rain gear, non-stick cookware, stain repellents, and firefighting foam. But these chemicals could potentially be linked to some health issues like hormonal imbalance, cardiovascular disease, developmental problems and even cancer.
Dr. Mohseni and his team made a special material that can take away anything called PFAS from drinking water. PFAS is removed by using two methods created in the lab too; electrochemical and photochemical techniques. The scientists wrote about it all in a new article published in Chemosphere.
Dr. Mohseni has pointed out that although there are certain treatments that are used in homes and businesses, such as activated carbon and ion-exchange systems, they do not filter out all kinds of PFAS (chemicals) or need a long time to complete the process.
Our special materials can capture up to 99 percent of the very dangerous PFAS particles from the air, and they can also be cleaned and used again. That means that once we use them to clean out the PFAS particles, we won’t need to dispose of more hazardous waste which would make our environment worse.
He said that even though PFAS are no longer made in Canada, they can still get into the environment through things like stain-resistant sprays or materials, rain gear washed with it, foams we use to put out fires, cosmetics, and sunscreens. All these products can get into our bodies too.
Most people commonly get exposed to toxins and chemicals through food and products they use. But, people can also be exposed from drinking water – especially if the water sources where they live are contaminated.
Dr. Mohseni’s research team is working on providing better water options for remote and Indigenous villages around the world. He mentioned that their adsorbing media, which are cheaper compared to advanced solutions out there, can capture PFAS (harmful chemicals) and be used in small communities or even at home treatments.
The UBC team is getting ready to try out a new kind of technology in many areas around British Columbia this month. Dr. Mohseni said that the test results from these real life studies will help make the technology even better so it can potentially be used by cities, companies, and people to get rid of bad chemicals called PFASs which can be found in water.
An article written by Fatemeh Asadi Zeidabadi, Ehsan Banayan Esfahani, Sean T. McBeath, Kristian L. Dubrawski and Madjid Mohseni called ‘Electrochemical degradation of PFOA and its common alternatives: Assessment of key parameters, roles of active species, and transformation pathway’ was published in the Chemosphere Journal on 3 January 2023. The article talks about how to get rid of hazardous chemicals like PFOA using electricity.
