In forty-five minutes, a new method is able to break down 95% of the toxic “forever chemicals” in water. 

The term “forever chemicals” refers to pollutants that stick around for a long time, polluting our waterways and putting public health at risk.

“Forever chemicals” were previously thought to be impossible to degrade without the use of a significant amount of energy.

The traditional methods have been widely utilised for decades as non-sticking and waterproofing agents. But “forever chemicals” are now in a wide range of products, from firefighting foam to beauty products. They have also been found in drinking water all over the world.

Most of the time, they are found in levels that are too high and have been linked to health problems like liver cancer. Now, scientists have found a new way to break “forever chemicals” apart. So, it adds to the list of possible ways to deal with compounds that last a long time.

Researchers share how these tightly bound, long-chained man-made chemicals “fall apart” in conditions that are surprisingly mild.

Key facts!

• Ultraviolet light and hydrogen gas are both common in drinking supplies.
• The new method utilises ultraviolet light and hydrogen gas to break down hazardous chemicals.
• The new method is currently pending a patent.
• It also does not generate any undesirable byproducts thus making it sustainable.
• The first method involves eliminating the substance from environmental resources, such as by filtering drinking water supplies (often using carbon).
• One example of this method is filtering drinking water supplies.
• The subsequent phase entails disposing of or eliminating the chemicals in a manner that does not result in the production of any further dangerous substances.
• The researchers have only used very little amounts of tap water to test their procedure so far.
• They were able to achieve a rapid and almost full degradation of the contaminants in the test batches while using significantly less electrical energy than in their earlier efforts.
• Within forty-five minutes of treatment, 95 per cent of forever chemical compounds were degraded.
• However, the technology still requires some fine-tuning because some compounds are toxic even at levels that are hardly detectable.

“Reactions” on YouTube gives some information about “Forever Chemicals.”

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