Precision tools for targeted PFAS removal in water treatment applications

Water quality and scarcity are considered high priority global risks, with recent trends showing that demand is expected to outstrip supply by 40% in 2030 (WEF, 2019; World Bank, 2019). Recently, the emergence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as an acute global water quality challenge has led to unprecedented political and regulatory upheaval.

PFAS are humanmade chemicals widely used in the production of non-stick cookware, waterproof textiles and aqueous firefighting foams. As such, they are now ubiquitous in water sources and other environmental locations, posing severe health risks to exposed populations (EWG, 2020). PFAS are linked to thyroid disease, reproductive abnormalities, and many types of cancer, whilst annual exposure-related health costs in the EEA are estimated to have already reached €84bn (Nordic Council of Ministers, 2019).

To mitigate exposure risks, new regulations have been applied (across the US, EU and Australia with others to follow), requiring that PFAS are treated to nearly non-detectable levels. This has rendered utilities and manufacturing companies bearing huge liabilities as they are unable to meet treatment requirements, due to a technology gap. Conventional treatment technologies cannot be applied to PFAS effectively, generating a void for innovative solutions focussed on removing PFAS efficiently and cost-effectively.

The situation has spurred a wave of litigation, and in 2019 several US states filed class action lawsuits amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars, against manufacturers including DuPont, Chemours and 3M. Legal costs in the US alone are estimated to range from $25bn to $40bn. Lawsuits are now being issued elsewhere, such as in Australia, where 40,000 residents of towns exposed to PFAS, from use of firefighting foams, are suing the government in the biggest class action lawsuit in Australian history.

Puraffinity, a London-based cleantech start-up company, specialises in the development of materials for environmental applications. Advanced design precision tools are required to be able to employ new surface modification strategies effectively for producing highly optimised adsorbents for dedicated PFAS removal. Puraffinity intends to utilise a novel real-time reaction monitoring analytical method to optimise further its adsorbent materials, which will accelerate the production of a suite of highly selective materials to be demonstrated at scale.

Rapidly producing a suite of adsorbents that can be deployed at pace will have significant impacts, among which include: enabling companies to meet regulations and sustain operations, protecting public health, and expanding operations of a UK-based company in high-value global markets.