This New Material Does More Than Trap PFAS

Rice University's new copper-aluminum material captures PFAS 1,000x more effectively and destroys it without toxic byproducts

27 Sep 2025

Researchers at Rice University have developed a copper-aluminium material that captures and breaks down per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water, with performance that exceeds existing treatment methods.

The study, published in Advanced Materials on September 25, 2025, describes a layered double hydroxide (LDH) structure engineered to bind strongly with PFAS molecules. The work was led by postdoctoral fellow Youngkun Chung under Professor Michael S. Wong at Rice’s George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing, in collaboration with South Korean institutions.

Laboratory tests showed the material adsorbed PFAS more than 1,000 times more effectively than conventional adsorbents and removed contaminants around 100 times faster than standard carbon filters. The researchers tested the system in river water, tap water and industrial wastewater, finding consistent results in both static and continuous-flow conditions.

The technology also addresses a longstanding limitation in PFAS treatment: the safe disposal of captured chemicals. Existing methods often concentrate PFAS without eliminating them, creating secondary waste streams.

In the Rice system, heating the saturated material with calcium carbonate enabled thermal decomposition of more than half the trapped PFAS without releasing toxic byproducts. The process also regenerated the material for reuse, with tests confirming at least six cycles of capture and destruction.

Professor Wong said current removal approaches remain inefficient and generate waste, adding that the new system offers a more sustainable alternative. “Current removal methods are too slow and inefficient and generate secondary waste,” he said.

The findings come as US regulators tighten limits on PFAS in drinking water to parts-per-trillion levels, increasing pressure on utilities to adopt more effective treatment technologies.

Researchers said the combination of rapid adsorption, on-site destruction and reusability could support wider deployment in municipal and industrial systems. Further work is under way to scale the technology through pilot projects at Rice’s WaTER Institute.