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By Thomas Kingsley, Publishing Associate: Researcher and Writer at Save the Water™ | March 15, 2026
Edited by April Day, Publishing Consultant at Save the Water™
A major issue in the fight for clean water is addressing contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These compounds are often referred to as “forever chemicals” because they persist in the environment. Luckily, an international team of researchers from South Korea, the US, the UK, and China have developed a new technology that removes PFAS from water faster than ever before. The removal process also regenerates the material being used. As a result, the technology can continue to filter out the harmful chemicals.
PFAS compounds are a group of man-made chemicals that have been around since the invention of Teflon in the 1930s. They are highly resistant to heat and repel water. Industry uses them in water-repellent fabrics, nonstick cookware, firefighting foams, and many other products. However, these qualities that make them great in these products also make it difficult for them to decompose naturally. They then persist in the environment for decades.
As an example, one PFAS is Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). A new study focused on PFOA. It has a half-life of 55 to 89 years in water, meaning it would take that long for half of it to break down. In soil, that process can take between 33 and 112 years.
This slow rate of decomposition makes PFAS so dangerous, as “they contribute to almost every chronic disease”. The main source of contamination for people seems to be food packaging, but environmental contamination is also a risk. Soil contamination can pollute the groundwater. And there have been reports of PFAS impacting private wells.
Several different strategies have been used to remove PFOA from water. These include:
adsorption using activated carbon - increasing the surface area of carbon so that chemicals stick to its surface
ion exchange resins - using a difference in electrical charge to draw chemicals out of the water and trap them inside resins
reverse osmosis membranes - forcing water through a membrane that only water can pass through, leaving the chemicals behind
In the end, these methods have not been very effective, because they were too slow, quickly ran out of capacity, or generated PFAS-contaminated waste.
According to the writers of the article, the solution essentially combines the strategies of activated carbon adsorption and the ion exchange resins. They developed a layered double hydroxide (LDH) using copper, aluminum, and nitrate. This material has a positive charge that attracts the negatively charged PFOA molecules to stick to its surface. The material also slightly repels water, allowing PFOA to form a scum layer in a higher concentration than what we would expect from just the electric charge.
Once the material captured the PFOA, the team heated the compounds alongside calcium carbonate. This broke the bond between the carbon and fluorine atoms that is the source of stability for PFAS. Heating the material also regenerated the LDH so that it could be reused.
The researchers tested their material in wastewater and drinking water treatment plants. The team found that LDH had a higher capacity and worked faster than sixteen other treatment methods. Notably, their LDH solution was the only method that combined speed and efficiency. Those with similar capacities were much slower, and those with similar speed had much lower capacities. This likely increases treatment costs, reducing real-life applications.
The study’s authors showed that there is great potential for a clean and efficient way to remove PFOA from our water supply. As we learn more about the dangers of PFAS, many governmental bodies have started to phase out their use. In 2019, PFOA was added to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. This convention is an international treaty that aims “to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants”.
With its use decreasing and promising technology for its removal being developed, we may see the end of PFOA as a pollutant in our lifetime!
Save the Water™ is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to conduct research to identify and remove harmful contaminants in water and to raise public awareness about water contamination and its health impacts.
