Magnetic solution removes toxic "forever chemicals" from water in seconds

[Wicked Blue]

Scientists in Australia have developed an intriguing new technique for removing toxic “forever chemicals” from water. Adding a solution to contaminated water coats the pollutants and makes them magnetic, so they can easily be attracted and isolated.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of chemicals that have been in wide use around the world since the 1950s, thanks to their water- and oil-repelling properties. However, more recently PFAS chemicals have been linked to a concerning number of health problems, including increased risks of diabetes and liver cancer. Worse still, a recent study has found that their levels in rainwater almost everywhere on Earth exceed the EPA’s guidelines, and to cap it all off, these stable molecules are very hard to break down, earning them the nickname “forever chemicals.”

Now, researchers at the University of Queensland have developed a technique that could help remove PFAS chemicals from water. The team designed a solution called a magnetic fluorinated polymer sorbent which, when added to contaminated water, coats the PFAS molecules. This makes them magnetic, so then it’s a relatively simple process to use a magnet to attract the pollutants and separate them from the water.

In tests with small samples of PFAS-laden water, the team found that the technique could remove over 95% of most PFAS molecules, including over 99% of GenX – a particularly problematic chemical – within 30 seconds.

https://newatlas.com/environment/pfas-toxic-forever-chemicals-magnetic-removal/

[1WorldHope]

1. That sounds hopeful! I like hopeful!

[housecat]

2. and science

[1WorldHope]

10. Even better!

[SergeStorms]

3. Too little, too late.

Just about every living creature on earth has these chemicals in their bodies already. The water and earth are contaminated with them, and there's no possible way to coat the entire earth and waterways with this new substance to remove them. Even if you could, what do you do with them after you've removed them?

It's a feel-good story, but totally impossible to implement.

I don't like being the bearer of bad tidings, but I try to be realistic.

[BWdem4life]

11. I was kinda thinking the same thing

How exactly are you going to treat all the water in lakes, streams and rivers? How are you going to treat the rain?

[FakeNoose]

4. K & R bookmarked

[yonder]

5. Huge news if this turns out to be practical on a large scale industrial level.

I wonder what would discourage adoption of this technique? Scale, power requirements, etc.?

Then again, can we afford not to further poison ourselves into oblivion?

[KPN]

6. Every billionaire on earth will have this technology in place

for their own water supply within a matter of couple mere years. The rest of us? Well, water sources are as prolific as people … so think Flint, Michigan.

[LudwigPastorius]

7. The researchers' paper:

Efficient Removal of Perfluorinated Chemicals from Contaminated Water Sources Using Magnetic Fluorinated Polymer Sorbents

[pansypoo53219]

8. does it work on humans?

[mjvpi]

9. Call me cynical, but what are the long term health effects of magnetic fluoridated polymer sorbent?

And after it’s collected on a magnet we can store it safely with nuclear waste, right? And the companies that made millions creating these chemicals in the first place are going to pay for the process, right?

Yes, this is wonderful news and limitless good karma and money to the brilliant scientists who developed this process. Hopefully we can manage to teach enough Critical Race Theory that this technology can be used first in predominantly poor communities of color that compose our "cancer alleys" and in poor countries where multinational corporations are more powerful than the governments.

Sorry, long day at work.

[NickB79]

12. I wonder if there's a way to unbind the PFAS and recycle the magnetic polymers

Otherwise, yeah, it's kind of a non-scalable solution if it's a one-time use material.

[mjvpi]

13. That's a great thought. Thank goodness for smart, altruistic scientists.

[ProfessorGAC]

14. Very Interesting

I'll have to look for the paper. I'm really interested in what the sorbent consists of.
I did a lot of this type of P-Chem in my time.
Intriguing.

[Prairie_Seagull]

15. How about, first we stop using these chemicals? nt