WC130 MayJune2023 - Magazine - Page 6
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“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.”
6
“THINK BRITA FILTER, but a thousand times
better,” says University of British Columbia
chemical and biological engineering professor
Dr. Madjid Mohseni, who developed the
technology.
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,
mostly in raingear, non-stick cookware, stain
repellents and firefighting foam. Research
links these chemicals to a wide range of health
problems including hormonal disruption,
cardiovascular disease, developmental delays
and cancer.
To remove PFAS from drinking water, Dr.
Mohseni and his team devised a unique adsorbing material that is capable of trapping and
holding all the PFAS present in the water supply. The PFAS are then destroyed using special
electrochemical and photochemical techniques,
also developed at the Mohseni lab.
“Our adsorbing media captures up to 99
per cent of PFAS particles and can also be re-
WATER C AN ADA • M AY/JUNE 2023
generated 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.”
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 decentralized and in-home water
treatments.”
The UBC team is preparing to pilot
the new technology at a number of locations
in B.C.
“The results we obtain from these real-world field studies will allow us to further
optimize the technology and have it ready as
products that municipalities, industry and
individuals can use to eliminate PFAS in their
water,” said Dr. Mohseni.
WAT E R C A N A D A . N E T
Lou Bosshart/UBC
UBC WATER TREATMENT ZAPS
“FOREVER CHEMICALS” FOR GOOD
