Researchers at The University of Queensland have pioneered a simple, fast and effective technique to remove PFAS chemicals from water. Usin

Magnetic method to clean PFAS contaminated water

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2023-01-23 10:00:09

Researchers at The University of Queensland have pioneered a simple, fast and effective technique to remove PFAS chemicals from water.

Using a magnet and a reusable absorption aid that they developed, polymer chemist Dr Cheng Zhang and PhD candidate Xiao Tan at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology have cleared 95 per cent of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from a small amount of contaminated water in under a minute.

“Removing PFAS chemicals from contaminated waters is urgently needed to safeguard public and environmental health,” Dr Zhang said.

“Our method shows it is possible to remove more of these chemicals in a way that is faster, cheaper, cleaner, and very simple.

PFAS substances are synthetic compounds used in industry and consumer products since the 1950s, but they persist in the environment potentially leading to human health problems.