Next-generation materials for targeted PFAS removal in residential Point of Use water treatment systems

最近爆发的Covid-19大流行突出表明，有必要保护公众健康，确保人群免受致病性威胁。众所周知，暴露于环境污染可导致免疫反应受损，因此迫切需要减轻人群中的暴露。Per和多氟烷基物质（PFAS）是一类人造化学物质，由4700多种化合物组成，广泛用于工业应用，因此现在在环境和水源中无处不在，对接触人群构成严重的健康风险。它们显然与甲状腺疾病、生殖异常、两种癌症和免疫反应抑制有关。早在2016年，美国国家毒理学计划就得出结论，PFAS对人类构成“免疫危害”，而许多研究发现，PFAS暴露会影响获得性免疫系统，导致暴露水平越高，疫苗效力越低。仅在欧洲经济区，与PFAS暴露相关的年度健康成本估计就达到840亿欧元（北欧部长理事会，2019年）。欧共体最近关于Covid-19背景下PFAS危机的文章明确强调了减少接触这些化学物质的重要性，这对于能够促进人群免疫健康至关重要。为了遏制PFAS的暴露，一波新的法规浪潮席卷了美国和欧盟。最近修订的欧盟水框架包括20种PFAS化合物，美国至少有1.1亿人暴露于严重的PFAS污染中，加上个别国家实施严格法规的干预措施，正在推动人口保护计划。由于PFAS具有特殊的化学性质和在水介质中的稳定性，传统的水处理方法无法处理各种类型的PFAS，从而留下了重大的技术市场空白。严酷的现实是，公共供水系统无法在饮用水处理所需的规模上提供即时保护，这就迫切需要在实际消费点（即厨房水龙头处）处理少量水的使用点（POU）系统。污水处理应用于家庭、办公楼、机场、学校、餐馆、咖啡馆、工业设施等，其市场价值达数十亿英镑。目前，只有少数POU系统获得了PFAS去除认证（基于去除两种PFAS化合物- PFOS和PFOA）， POU市场领先的公司正在寻求满足更新和更严格的饮用水供应法规的解决方案，认识到市场差距可以利用。Puraffinity是一家位于伦敦的绿色科技公司，致力于开发环保材料。技术差距和市场紧迫性促使该公司开发专用吸附材料，以去除水中的PFAS。该项目的目标是成功优化一套吸附材料，以处理广谱PFAS，该材料可适用于一系列POU系统。一个成功的结果将产生高价值的影响，首先是保护公众健康和环境，同时加速英国公司进入全球市场的增长，从而为英国带来重大的经济利益。

The recent outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to protect public health and ensure populations are immune to pathogenic threats. It is well known that exposure to environmental pollution can cause impaired immune-responses, giving rise to the urgent need to mitigate exposure amongst the population. Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a man-made chemical class, comprising above 4700 compounds, widely used in industrial applications, and as such are now ubiquitous in the environment and in water sources, posing severe health risks to exposed populations. They clearly have been linked to thyroid disease, reproductive abnormalities, two types of cancer, and suppressed immuno-responses. Already in 2016, the US National Toxicology Program concluded that PFAS pose "an immune hazard to humans", whilst many studies have found that PFAS exposure impacts the acquired immune system, leading to decreased vaccine effectiveness with higher exposure levels. Annual PFAS exposure-related health costs in the EEA alone are estimated to reach €84 billion (Nordic Council of Ministers, 2019). The importance of reducing exposure to these chemicals is pivotal in being able to promote increased immuno-health in the population, explicitly highlighted in recent EC articles on the PFAS crisis in the Covid-19 context.In an attempt to curb PFAS exposure, a wave of new regulations has swept across the US and EU. Recent revision of the EU Water Framework to include 20 PFAS compounds, documented exposure of at least 110 million people in the US to severe PFAS contamination, coupled with individual state interventions to implement stringent regulations are driving population protection programmes. Conventional water treatment methods cannot treat broad classes of PFAS, due to their exceptional chemical properties and derived stability in aqueous medium - leaving a significant technology market gap. The harsh reality is that public water supplies are not able to offer immediate protection at the scales required for potable water treatment -- creating an urgent market pull for Point of Use (POU) systems designed to treat small volumes at the actual consumption point (i.e. at the kitchen tap).POU treatment is found in households, office buildings, airports, schools, restaurants, cafes, industrial facilities etc, and is a market worth £billions. Currently, only a few POU systems are accredited for PFAS removal (based on the removal of two PFAS compounds only -- PFOS and PFOA) and POU market-leading companies are seeking solutions that will meet newer and more stringent potable water supply regulations, recognizing the market gap can be capitalized on.Puraffinity, a London-based green technology company, develops materials for environmental applications. The technology gap and market urgency has spurred the company to develop dedicated adsorbent materials to remove PFAS from water. The objective of this project is to successfully optimise a suite of adsorbent materials to treat broad spectrum PFAS that can be adapted to a range of POU systems. A successful outcome will have high-value impacts, first and foremost protecting public health and the environment whilst accelerating growth of a UK-based company into a global market leading to significant UK economic benefits.