Polymer Supported Carbon for Safe and Effective Remediation of PFOA- and PFOS-Contaminated Water

Powdered
activated carbon (PAC) is an economical sorbent for removing
micropollutants from water, but it generates hazardous dust that is
flammable and a respiration hazard. Additionally, the fine particles
of PAC can cake and block filters and membranes, complicating its
use in continuous processes. In this study, we present a sulfur polymer
support for PAC that overcomes these problems. The blend of the sulfur
polymer and PAC generates low dust and it does not block filters.
The utility of the sorbent is demonstrated in the remediation of water
contaminated with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic
acid (PFOS), persistent micropollutants that currently threaten water
safety worldwide. Fundamental discoveries of PFOA self-assembly are
also reported, as well as testing on a field sample of contaminated
surface water.

粉末状活性炭（Powdered Activated Carbon, PAC）是一类用于去除水中微污染物的经济吸附剂，但该材料会产生兼具易燃性与呼吸危害的有害粉尘；此外，其细小颗粒易结块并堵塞过滤器与膜组件，进一步限制了其在连续工艺中的应用。本研究开发了一种用于负载粉末状活性炭的硫聚合物载体，可有效解决上述问题。硫聚合物与活性炭的共混材料粉尘排放量极低，且不会堵塞过滤器。该吸附剂的应用效能通过对全氟辛酸（Perfluorooctanoic Acid, PFOA）与全氟辛烷磺酸（Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid, PFOS）污染水体的修复实验得到验证——这两种持久性微污染物目前正威胁全球水体安全。本研究同时报道了全氟辛酸自组装的基础性发现，并针对受污染地表水的现场样本开展了测试验证。