Next-generation materials for targeted PFAS removal in residential Point of Use water treatment systems

The recent outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to protect public health and ensure populations are immune to pathogenic threats. It is well known that exposure to environmental pollution can cause impaired immune-responses, giving rise to the urgent need to mitigate exposure amongst the population. Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a man-made chemical class, comprising above 4700 compounds, widely used in industrial applications, and as such are now ubiquitous in the environment and in water sources, posing severe health risks to exposed populations.

They clearly have been linked to thyroid disease, reproductive abnormalities, two types of cancer, and suppressed immuno-responses. Already in 2016, the US National Toxicology Program concluded that PFAS pose "an immune hazard to humans", whilst many studies have found that PFAS exposure impacts the acquired immune system, leading to decreased vaccine effectiveness with higher exposure levels.

Annual PFAS exposure-related health costs in the EEA alone are estimated to reach €84 billion (Nordic Council of Ministers, 2019). The importance of reducing exposure to these chemicals is pivotal in being able to promote increased immuno-health in the population, explicitly highlighted in recent EC articles on the PFAS crisis in the Covid-19 context.

In an attempt to curb PFAS exposure, a wave of new regulations has swept across the US and EU. Recent revision of the EU Water Framework to include 20 PFAS compounds, documented exposure of at least 110 million people in the US to severe PFAS contamination, coupled with individual state interventions to implement stringent regulations are driving population protection programmes.

Conventional water treatment methods cannot treat broad classes of PFAS, due to their exceptional chemical properties and derived stability in aqueous medium - leaving a significant technology market gap. The harsh reality is that public water supplies are not able to offer immediate protection at the scales required for potable water treatment -- creating an urgent market pull for Point of Use (POU) systems designed to treat small volumes at the actual consumption point (i.e. at the kitchen tap).

POU treatment is found in households, office buildings, airports, schools, restaurants, cafes, industrial facilities etc, and is a market worth £billions. Currently, only a few POU systems are accredited for PFAS removal (based on the removal of two PFAS compounds only -- PFOS and PFOA) and POU market-leading companies are seeking solutions that will meet newer and more stringent potable water supply regulations, recognizing the market gap can be capitalized on.

Puraffinity, a London-based green technology company, develops materials for environmental applications. The technology gap and market urgency has spurred the company to develop dedicated adsorbent materials to remove PFAS from water. The objective of this project is to successfully optimise a suite of adsorbent materials to treat broad spectrum PFAS that can be adapted to a range of POU systems.

A successful outcome will have high-value impacts, first and foremost protecting public health and the environment whilst accelerating growth of a UK-based company into a global market leading to significant UK economic benefits.