Researchers have developed a new material that captures harmful PFAS chemicals from water in a matter of seconds, offering a promising pathway to address one of today's most persistent environmental threats. The study reports that a nitrate-intercalated layered double hydroxide can remove perfluorooctanoic acid, a widely detected PFAS contaminant, with an exceptional capacity of 1,702 milligrams per gram.
PFAS, often called forever chemicals because of their extreme persistence, are commonly found in drinking water, soils, and even human blood. Traditional adsorbents such as activated carbon and biochar often struggle with limited capacity, slow uptake, and the risk of generating secondary waste. The new material overcomes these limitations through a unique combination of tailored cationic disorder and functional interlayers that enable rapid anion exchange.
"Our goal was to create a material that captures PFAS as quickly as it encounters them while remaining stable and reusable," said the study's lead author. "We were excited to see that this layered structure not only traps PFOA with extraordinary efficiency but also maintains its integrity during repeated regeneration cycles."
The researchers designed the highly crystalline CuAl layered double hydroxide using an optimized urea hydrolysis method that precisely controlled pH and metal ratios. This structural engineering resulted in weakly bound nitrate ions that can be rapidly exchanged with PFOA under neutral conditions. The material performed effectively in both batch tests and continuous fixed-bed systems and showed strong potential for use in real water samples.
Although the regeneration process requires further improvement, especially in achieving more complete fluorine destruction, the findings highlight a promising integrated capture and treatment strategy. The team believes that continued advances in layered materials will support scalable technologies for safer water across communities and ecosystems.
===
Journal reference: Wang Y, Chen C, Wang X. 2025. Ultrafast capture of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances by nitrate-intercalated layered double hydroxide through cationic geometry and functional interlayers. New Contaminants 1: e014
https://www.maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/newcontam-0025-0014
===
About the Journal:
New Contaminants is an open-access journal focusing on research related to emerging pollutants and their remediation.
