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Jet Drop Enrichment: A Low-Cost Method for Simultaneous PFAS and Microplastics Removal from Drinking Water
Summary
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and tiny microplastics are two of the hardest contaminants to remove from drinking water, and this study proposes a surprising solution: harnessing the micro-bubbles that naturally burst at a water surface, which fling surface-active pollutants into tiny airborne droplets that can be collected. The method achieved up to 99% removal of long-chain PFAS and fine microplastics simultaneously, and when combined with a resin pre-treatment step, also captured shorter-chain PFAS at over 90% efficiency. This bubble-based approach is low-energy, low-cost, and could complement existing water treatment infrastructure.
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, and PFHxS) and fine MPs become highly enriched at the air–water interface and are efficiently transferred into jet drops, yielding removal efficiencies of 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.
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