“Engineers have invented a new way to remove health-harming ‘forever chemicals’ from water – using 3D printing.
Researchers at the University of Bath say their method, using ceramic-infused lattices (or ‘monoliths’), removes at least 75% of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), one of the most common perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), from water, and could become an important tool in future efforts to eliminate the chemicals from water supplies.
Their findings were published this week in The Chemical Engineering Journal.”
[…]
“Testing of the monoliths has surprisingly shown they have become more effective under repeated use – they undergo high-temperature thermal ‘regeneration’ treatment after each use. This is something the researchers are keen to understand more fully with further experimentation.”
If these monoliths work as well practically as they do here in a small-scale test, then we might actually have a chance at minimising the damage done by unregulated release of PFAS, which would be good for all of us.
Having said that, I do fear that the rise of these “fix it in post” environmental solutions will be used by big bads to justify the continuation of bad environmental practices because “ThE sCiEnTiStS wIlL jUsT cLeAn It Up AfTeR”
Yep I know nothing below will happan thanks to our world political motives But. .
If we charge for manufacture. By dramatically increasing the cost to use these chemicals. To fund said science. We win both battles. Reduce desire to use, while increasing investments on alternatives. And fund clean up.
yeah, it is exactly what’s happened with plastics since they became a thing