Green sponges made from natural materials trap forever chemicals
Singh R, Kim H, Kim M, Mehta PK, Kim K
Phytoremediation
The runoff pooling near roadsides, golf courses, and old industrial lots often carries PFAS that eventually reach the soil and groundwater feeding nearby gardens and wells, so cheaper, biodegradable cleanup materials could mean cleaner water reaching your own backyard.
PFAS are man-made chemicals that don't break down easily and have turned up in water supplies worldwide. Researchers looked at new sponge-like materials made from biodegradable, nontoxic ingredients that can grab onto these chemicals and pull them out of water. Lab tests showed these greener sponges actually outperform older, less eco-friendly cleanup materials.
Key Findings
Novel sorbents built from biodegradable, nontoxic materials showed improved PFAS removal efficiency in batch experiments compared to conventional remediation techniques
The review consolidates evidence across multiple sustainable sorbent designs, highlighting biocompatibility and eco-friendliness as key advantages
Significant challenges remain before these green sorbents can be widely deployed at scale for PFAS contamination cleanup
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists reviewed new plant-based and other eco-friendly sponge-like materials that soak up 'forever chemicals' (PFAS) from contaminated water more effectively than older methods, offering a greener path to cleaning up polluted sites.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Sustainable and green novel sorbent-based immobilization of PFAS and their enhanced adsorption to treat environmental contamination.
The persistent environmental contamination resulting from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) presents substantial challenges to both environment and public health, thereby underscoring the ...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Ancient Amazonian forests were planted and tended by Indigenous farmers
Forests and fruits we romanticize as wild — including many plants now in our kitchens and gardens — may exist in their current abundance precisely because an...
Soil health is the capacity of soil to function as a living ecosystem, supporting complex interactions between microorganisms, soil fauna, and plant communities. For plant science, soil health is critical because these biological and chemical soil properties directly control nutrient availability,
arrow_forward Explore topic