Engineers in Canada have developed new technology to remove “forever chemicals” from drinking water for good.

A team at the University of British Columbia (UBC) say their unique adsorbing material is capable of trapping and holding up to 99% of all the PFAS present in the water supply.

Forever chemicals, formally known as PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large group of substances that make certain products non-stick or stain-resistant. There are more than 4,700 PFAS in use in a huge range of products including cosmetics, outdoor clothing, dishwasher rinse aid, stain repellents and car polish.

In manufacturing, they are favoured for their durability, however, once they make their way into waterways, they are notoriously difficult to break down and can remain in the environment for many years. As such, there are growing concerns regarding risks to human health.

Describing the breakthrough removal technology, UBC chemical and biological engineering professor Dr Madjid Mohseni said, “Think Brita filter but a thousand times better. While there are treatments currently on the market, like activated carbon and ion-exchange systems, which are widely used in homes and industry, they do not effectively capture all the different PFAS or they require longer treatment time.

“Our adsorbing media captures up to 99% of PFAS particles and can also be regenerated and potentially reused. This means that when we scrub off the PFAS from these materials, we do not end up with more highly toxic solid waste that will be another major environmental challenge.”

The PFAS are then destroyed using special electrochemical and photochemical techniques, also developed at Mohseni's lab and described in a paper published recently in Chemosphere journal.

Dr Mohseni, whose research group also focuses on developing water solutions for rural, remote and Indigenous communities, noted, “Our adsorbing media are particularly beneficial for people living in smaller communities who lack resources to implement the most advanced and expensive solutions that could capture PFAS. These can also be used in the form of decentralised and in-home water treatments.”

The UBC team is preparing to pilot the new technology at a number of locations in British Columbia.

Dr Mohseni said, “The results we obtain from these real-world field studies will allow us to further optimise the technology and have it ready as products that municipalities, industry and individuals can use to eliminate PFAS in their water.”