Scientists Develop Breakthrough Method to Trap and Destroy “Forever Chemicals”

Scientists at Rice University, working with international collaborators, have developed a new environmentally friendly method to capture and break down toxic “forever chemicals” (PFAS) in water.

The breakthrough, published in Advanced Materials, is a major advance in tackling one of the most persistent forms of environmental contamination.

PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have been widely used since the 1940s in products such as non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing and food packaging. Their durability makes them useful but also extremely resistant to natural breakdown, leading to widespread contamination of water, soil, and air. Exposure has been linked to liver damage, reproductive issues, immune system disruption and certain cancers.

Current clean-up methods rely on adsorption, using materials like activated carbon to trap PFAS. These approaches are slow, inefficient and generate secondary waste. 

“Current methods for PFAS removal are too slow, inefficient, and create secondary waste,” said Tina and Sunit Patel Professor in Molecular Nanotechnology and professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, chemistry and civil and environmental engineering, Michael S. Wong. “Our new approach offers a sustainable and highly effective alternative”.

The Rice-led team’s innovation is based on a layered double hydroxide (LDH) material made from copper and aluminium, first discovered by Keon-Ham Kim at KAIST in 2021. While experimenting with LDHs, postdoctoral fellow Youngkun Chung found that one nitrate-based formulation adsorbed PFAS with record-breaking efficiency. 

“To my astonishment, this LDH compound captured PFAS more than 1,000 times better than other materials,” said Chung. “It also worked incredibly fast, removing large amounts of PFAS within minutes, about 100 times faster than commercial carbon filters”.

Tests in river water, tap water and wastewater confirmed the material’s effectiveness in both static and continuous-flow systems, suggesting strong potential for municipal and industrial applications.

Crucially, the team also developed a way to destroy PFAS after capture. Working with Rice professors Pedro Alvarez and James Tour, Chung devised a thermal process using calcium carbonate to decompose PFAS trapped on the LDH. The method eliminated more than half of the contaminants without producing toxic by-products, while regenerating the LDH for reuse. 

Preliminary studies showed the material could complete at least six full cycles of capture, destruction and renewal, making it the first known eco-friendly, sustainable system for PFAS removal.

“We are excited by the potential of this one-of-a-kind LDH-based technology to transform how PFAS-contaminated water sources are treated in the near future,” said Wong. “It’s the result of an extraordinary international collaboration and the creativity of young researchers”.

The research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea, Saudi Aramco-KAIST CO2 Management, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rice’s Sustainability Institute and WaTER Institute, among others.

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