The February 12th issue of WIRED includes a report on a promising new water filter system pioneered by a Jordan Poler, a chemistry professor at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte.
There are currently three main ways of removing PFAS (“forever chemicals”) from water—reverse osmosis, activated carbon filtration, and ion exchange. Reverse osmosis involves forcing water through a semipermeable membrane, which encourages contaminants to separate out from the water. Activated carbon, meanwhile, absorbs contaminants as water passes through the filter. The problem: current systems don’t protect from the redistribution of PFAS-contaminated water.
The new type of ion exchange filter enables water to pass through a fine, sand-like material that chemically attracts and filters out contaminants. The filter uses all sustainable zeolite that is readily available in the ground. The new filter represents a giant advance in ridding dangerous from flowing back into the environment.
Read Chris Baraniuk’s article in WIRED.
