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

最近新冠肺炎大流行的爆发突显了保护公共健康和确保人群对病原体威胁免疫的必要性。众所周知，暴露在环境污染中会导致免疫反应受损，因此迫切需要减少人群中的暴露。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，因此现在普遍存在于环境和水源中，对接触者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受抑有关。早在2016年，美国国家毒理学计划就得出结论，全氟辛烷磺酸对“人类构成免疫危险”，而许多研究发现，全氟辛烷磺酸暴露会影响获得性免疫系统，导致较高暴露水平时疫苗有效性降低。仅在欧洲经济区，每年与PFAS暴露相关的卫生成本估计就达到840亿欧元(北欧部长理事会，2019年)。减少接触这些化学物质的重要性，对于能够促进增强人群的免疫健康至关重要，这在欧共体最近关于全氟辛烷磺酸危机的文章中得到了明确的强调。为了遏制全氟辛烷磺酸的暴露，一波新的法规已经席卷了美国和欧盟。最近修订的欧盟水框架包括20种PFAS化合物，记录显示美国至少有1.1亿人暴露在严重的PFAS污染中，再加上个别州为实施严格法规而进行的干预，这些都在推动人口保护计划。传统的水处理方法不能处理种类广泛的全氟辛烷磺酸，因为它们具有特殊的化学性质和在水介质中的稳定性-留下了巨大的技术市场缺口。严峻的现实是，公共供水不能提供饮用水处理所需的规模的即时保护--为设计用于在实际用水点(即厨房水龙头)处理小容量水的使用点(POU)系统创造了紧迫的市场吸引力。POU处理存在于家庭、写字楼、机场、学校、餐馆、咖啡馆、工业设施等，是一个价值数十亿GB的市场。目前，只有几个POU系统获得了去除全氟辛烷磺酸的认证(仅基于去除两种全氟辛烷磺酸和全氟辛烷磺酸)，POU市场领先的公司正在寻找符合更新和更严格的饮用水供应法规的解决方案，认识到可以利用市场缺口。总部位于伦敦的绿色技术公司PurAffacy开发用于环境应用的材料。技术差距和市场紧迫性促使该公司开发专用吸附材料来去除水中的全氟辛烷磺酸。该项目的目标是成功地优化一套吸附材料，以处理能够适应一系列POU系统的广谱全氟辛烷磺酸。一个成功的结果将产生高价值的影响，首先保护公众健康和环境，同时加速一家总部位于英国的公司成长为全球市场，为英国带来显著的经济利益。

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.