Puraffinity: Using green technology to tackle the global PFAS problem
PFASs are known as 'forever chemicals' for their strength and resistance, which has proved to be something of a double-edged sword. While these chemicals are used in products we use every day, they can take an extremely long time to break down in the natural environment. However, Puraffinity is one company looking to change the way we deal with PFAS for the better.
What are PFAS, how are they used and what impact do they have on our environment?
Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely used chemicals containing the perfluorocarbon moiety. The PFAS family comprises over 10,000 different man-made compounds categorised into different sub-sets. They are known for their unique water-, oil-, heat-, stain- and grease-repellent properties.
For more than 60 years, PFAS have been used in the manufacture of products, such as firefighting foam, protective clothing, furniture, adhesives, food packaging, heat-resistant non-stick cooking surfaces and insulation of electrical wires, which has led to their widespread release into the environment.
The carbon-fluoride bond is one of the strongest in nature, making PFAS extremely resistant to natural degradation - they are often referred to as 'forever chemicals' – so can contaminate soil and drinking water sources and have been found in rivers and lakes.
Combined with their widespread use and increasing evidence of toxicity, concerns are being raised about the impact of PFAS on human health and the environment.
In February 2020, US Congress approved the PFAS Action Act (2019), while in 2021 the EU Water Framework Directive was amended to include 20 PFAS compounds, setting maximum contaminant levels to mitigate population exposure.
In the UK, we must urgently address PFAS water pollution to minimise the potential for negative health effects today and in future generations.
In many cases, conventional techniques cannot meet removal demands.
Who are Puraffinity and how is the company tackling the PFAS problem?
Our belief is that deep science holds the answers to a myriad of environmental challenges that pose a threat to our planet and wellbeing.
We've seen tremendous gains in the life sciences sector in response to the pandemic, with vaccines and detection developed at pace. It's now time to shine that beacon of focus on addressing environmental challenges, where the tools of creative engineering and material science can provide a new horizon for addressing PFAS treatment requirements for the global market.
Puraffinity is a green technology company, incorporated in 2015 with a focus on designing smart materials for environmental applications.
Existing technologies for the removal of PFAS, such as granular-activated carbon and ion exchange are non-selective, meaning they are unable to reliably remove PFAS from water, are affected by non-PFAS constituents and are not easily adaptable to comply with changing regulations.
Puraffinity has developed a novel platform technology that engineers the surface of raw materials using tailored ‘PFAS-friendly’ molecular groups. The result is a suite of adsorbent materials, exhibiting high selectivity towards diverse PFAS compounds, allowing them to be trapped and removed from the water.
This new technology can be modified to target different types of PFAS, to meet the demands of changing global regulations. It can also be adapted for multiple applications, from large-scale use to domestic applications:
- Environmental remediation: PFAS infiltration into groundwater requires a dedicated approach to enable effective remediation of polluted groundwater sites. Adsorbents can be retrofitted to existing assets in diverse sites and scenarios.
- Potable water treatment: New regulations are now requiring utilities to implement treatment solutions to ensure potable water supply is safe. New adsorbent technology is adaptable to large-volume applications and is designed with a high selectivity and high adsorption capacity, leading to lower footprints, less downtime, lower change-out frequency and attractive lifecycle costs.
- Point-of-use (POU): POU systems can serve as an affordable frontline barrier to PFAS for affected communities.
- Industrial manufacturing facilities: Many manufacturing facilities are required to treat their wastewater to meet stringent regulations prior to discharge into the environment or the municipal sewage system. Adsorbents can be designed as a polishing step in an industrial wastewater treatment process, whilst also considering high concentrations of PFAS, typically present in this application.
- Commercial airports/military bases: The use of aqueous film forming foams (AFFF) has exposed many airports and military bases to environmental challenges pertaining to PFAS contamination in groundwater and run-off water. Adsorbent technology can be tailored to remove different classes of PFAS at varying concentrations to meet environmental discharge permits.
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