Eco-friendly technology removes toxic PFAS from water

Rice University researchers, in collaboration with international partners, have developed the first eco-friendly technology to rapidly capture and destroy toxic "forever chemicals" (PFAS) in water. The findings, recently published in  Advanced Materials , mark a major step toward addressing one of the world's most persistent environmental threats.

The study was led by Youngkun Chung, a postdoctoral fellow under the mentorship of Michael S. Wong, a professor at Rice's George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing, and conducted in collaboration with Seoktae Kang, professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and Keon-Ham Kim, professor at Pukyung National University in South Korea.

PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are synthetic chemicals first manufactured in the 1940s and used in products ranging from Teflon pans to waterproof clothing and food packaging. Their ability to resist heat, grease and water has made them valuable for industry and consumers. But that same resistance means they do not easily degrade, earning them the nickname "forever chemicals."

Today, PFAS are found in water, soil and air around the globe. Studies link them to liver damage, reproductive disorders, immune system disruption and certain cancers. Efforts to clean up PFAS have struggled because the chemicals are difficult to remove and destroy once released into the environment.

Limitations of current technology

Traditional PFAS cleanup methods typically rely on adsorption, where molecules cling to materials like activated carbon or ion-exchange resins. While these methods are widely used, they come with major drawbacks: low efficiency, slow performance, limited capacity and the creation of additional waste that requires disposal.

"Current methods for PFAS removal are too slow, inefficient and create secondary waste," said Wong, the Tina and Sunit Patel Professor in Molecular Nanotechnology and professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, chemistry and civil and environmental engineering. "Our new approach offers a sustainable and highly effective alternative."

Schematic summary of six valuables to synthesize the highly crystalline CuxAl-NO3 LDH by urea hydrolysis. Credit:  Advanced Materials  (2025). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202509842

A material with real-world promise

The Rice-led team's innovation centers on a layered double hydroxide (LDH) material made from copper and aluminum, first discovered by Kim as a graduate student at KAIST in 2021. While experimenting with these materials, Chung discovered that one formulation with nitrate could adsorb PFAS with record-breaking efficiency.

"To my astonishment, this LDH compound captured PFAS more than 1,000 times better than other materials," said Chung, a lead author of the study and now a fellow at Rice's WaTER (Water Technologies, Entrepreneurship and Research) Institute and Sustainability Institute. "It also worked incredibly fast, removing large amounts of PFAS within minutes, about 100 times faster than commercial carbon filters."

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Taxonomy

• COD Removal
• Technology
• Health consequences from Toxic Water
• Water from Air
• PFAS
• international
• South Korea