Read the full article by Stuart Layt (The Age)
Queensland researchers have developed a way to quickly and simply remove dangerous PFAS chemicals from water using magnets.
Researchers from the University of Queensland have developed a method that does not require electricity or bulky lab equipment…
…Polymer chemist Dr Cheng Zhang and PhD candidate Xiao Tan at UQ’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology have spearheaded a way to quickly and easily remove the PFAS from water.
They use what is called a magnetic fluorinated polymer sorbent, which binds to the PFAS in the water.
‘Because it has a magnetic element, we then simply remove the sorbent, and the PFAS along with it, using a simple magnet,’ Zhang said.
The process is quicker than 30 seconds and removes over 95 per cent of the PFAS in the water sample.
Current methods for removing PFAS from water involve carbon filters and while they are also above 90 per cent effective, they can take up to 30 hours to remove the contamination and require bulky equipment, Zhang said.
The UQ developed method is also reusable up to 10 times.
Zhang said they were now working on scaling up the process from lab-based work to something that could be used in individual homes and on larger scales.”…