Jet Drop Enrichment: A Low-Cost Method for Simultaneous PFAS and Microplastics Removal from Drinking Water

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and fine microplastics (MPs, 1–10 μm) are emerging contaminants in drinking water that conventional treatment technologies struggle to remove. Here we developed a sustainable and low-cost approach that harnesses jet drops generated by bursting bubbles to collect pollutants, achieving simultaneous removal of PFAS and MPs. Our results show that both long-chain PFAS (PFOS, PFNA, PFDA, PFOA, PFHxS) and fine MPs become highly enriched at the air–water interface and are efficiently transferred into jet drops, yielding removal efficiencies up to 99% for long-chain PFAS and MPs. In contrast, short-chain PFAS exhibit lower removal because of their weaker surface activity. To address this limitation, we coupled an anion-exchange resin (AER) pretreatment with jet drop enrichment (JDE). The combined JDE+AER system raises short-chain PFAS removal to over 90% while cutting material use and costs. This work illuminates interfacial removal mechanisms and offers a scalable, economical, and environmentally benign option for advanced drinking water treatment.