PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are chemical compounds that are widely used in various industrial sectors due to their incredible chemical resistance and versatility of application. Unfortunately, however, their persistence in the environment poses a threat to human and animal health and to the entire ecosystem.
The accumulation of these substances can lead, over the years, to the development of numerous pathologies (testicular cancer, kidney diseases, lung cancer, to name but a few) and their danger is even more ferocious towards the most fragile people (pregnant women, children and the elderly).
Removing these substances from groundwater or industrial waste is a crucial challenge to ensure a sustainable and safe future.
The adsorption of these hazardous chemicals using suitably modified magnetic sponges may be the solution. The system employed is in fact economical, easy to use (either as a powder to be recovered with a magnet, or as pellets to be used in filter systems) and regenerable with appropriate organic solutions. The technology developed exploits special structures called MOFs (metal organic frameworks), built on magnetic particles, capable of capturing PFASs in an aqueous environment and releasing them into an organic washing solvent.
The first tests on a laboratory scale gave excellent results on the 4 PFAS tested (PFOA, PFOS, PFBA, PFBuS), demonstrating the efficiency of this system in capturing even the so-called “Short-PFAS”.
