PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Rice scientists pioneer method to tackle ‘forever chemicals’

New process upcycles hazardous chemicals, ‘transforms waste into a resource’

2025-03-31
(Press-News.org) Rice University researchers have developed an innovative solution to a pressing environmental challenge: removing and destroying per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly called “forever chemicals.” A study led byJames Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry and professor of materials science and nanoengineering, and graduate student Phelecia Scotland unveils a method that not only eliminates PFAS from water systems but also transforms waste into high-value graphene, offering a cost-effective and sustainable approach to environmental remediation. This research was published March 31 in Nature Water.

PFAS are synthetic compounds in various consumer products, valued for their heat, water and oil resistance. However, their chemical stability has made them persistent in the environment, contaminating water supplies and posing significant health risks, including cancer and immune system disruptions. Traditional methods of PFAS disposal are costly, energy-intensive and often generate secondary pollutants, prompting the need for innovative solutions that are more efficient and environmentally friendly.

 

“Our method doesn’t just destroy these hazardous chemicals; it turns waste into something of value,” Tour said. “By upcycling the spent carbon into graphene, we’ve created a process that’s not only environmentally beneficial but also economically viable, helping to offset the costs of remediation.”

 

The research team’s process employs flash joule heating (FJH) to tackle these challenges. By combining granular activated carbon (GAC) saturated with PFAS and mineralizing agents like sodium or calcium salts, the researchers applied a high voltage to generate temperatures exceeding 3,000 degrees Celsius in under one second. The intense heat breaks down the strong carbon-fluorine bonds in PFAS, converting them into inert, nontoxic fluoride salts. Simultaneously, the GAC is upcycled into graphene, a valuable material used in industries ranging from electronics to construction.

The research results yielded more than 96% defluorination efficiency and 99.98% removal of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), one of the most common PFAS pollutants. Analytical tests confirmed that the reaction produced undetectable amounts of harmful volatile organic fluorides, a common byproduct of other PFAS treatments. The method also eliminates the secondary waste associated with traditional disposal methods such as incineration or adding spent carbon to landfills.

“This dual-purpose approach is a game changer,” Scotland said. “It transforms waste into a resource while providing a scalable, cost-effective solution to an urgent environmental issue.”

The implications of this research extend beyond PFOA and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, the two most studied PFAS; it even works on the most recalcitrant PFAS type, Teflon R. The high temperatures achieved during FJH suggest that this method could degrade a wide range of PFAS compounds, paving the way for broader water treatment and waste management applications. The FJH process can also be tailored to produce other valuable carbon-based materials, including carbon nanotubes and nanodiamonds, further enhancing its versatility and economic appeal.

“With its promise of zero net cost, scalability and environmental benefits, our method represents a step forward in the fight against forever chemicals,” Scotland said. “As concerns over PFAS contamination continue to grow, this breakthrough offers hope for safeguarding water quality and protecting public health worldwide.”

The study’s co-authors from Rice include Kevin Wyss,Yi Cheng, Lucas Eddy,Jacob Beckham, Justin Sharp, Tengda Si, Bing Deng and Michael Wong from the Department of Chemistry; Youngkun Chung, Bo Wang and Juan Donoso from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Chi Hun Choi, Yimo Han, Boris Yakobson and Yufeng Zhao from the Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering; and Yu-Yi Shen and Mason Tomson from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Additional co-authors include Sarah Grace Zetterholm and Christopher Griggs from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center.

The research was funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, Stauffer-Rothwell Scholarship, and Rice Academy Fellowship.

 

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Exploring why some athletes perform better than others under stress

2025-03-31
Lack of sleep and stress hinder athletic performance, but some athletes may be better at performing competitively despite sleep issues and stress. In a new JNeurosci paper, researchers led by Yan Sun, from Peking University, looked for predictive behavioral and neural markers in athletes who maintain their performance level following sleep deprivation and under stress.  The researchers assessed college and professional athletes’ stress levels and cognitive changes after 24 h of sleep deprivation, then followed their ...

Exploring binge eating and binge drinking alcohol comorbidity

2025-03-31
The comorbidity of binge eating and alcohol binge drinking is prevalent and increases the risk of other neuropsychiatric and bodily conditions. However, the mechanisms linking these forms of binge consumption are unclear. To explore the link between binge eating and binge drinking alcohol, Karen Szumlinski, from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and colleagues developed a way to model the disease comorbidity in mice. As reported in their JNeurosci paper, this mouse model led to the discovery that females with a history of binge eating start binge drinking ...

The proportion of harmful substances in particulate matter is much higher than assumed

2025-03-31
People breathing contaminated air over the course of years are at greater risk of developing numerous diseases. This is thought to be due to highly reactive components in particulate matter, which affect biological processes in the body. However, researchers from the University of Basel, Switzerland, have now shown that precisely these components disappear within hours and that previous measurements therefore completely underestimate the quantities in which they are present. From chronic respiratory problems to cardiovascular diseases, ...

Administration is weakening U.S. research capacity and endangering Americans, nation’s leading scientists warn

2025-03-31
The wellbeing of Americans and the country’s longstanding position as a world leader in science and technology are in jeopardy due to the actions of the Trump administration, approximately 1,900 leading figures in medicine, science, and engineering warn today in an open statement to the American public. The list of signatories includes Nobel Prize winners, deans of medical schools, and national leaders in science and technology. “For over 80 years, wise investments by the US government have built up the nation’s research enterprise, making it the envy of ...

Trade Tariffs on Canadian Pharmaceuticals— Implications for US Drug Supply and Costs

2025-03-31
About The Study: Although Canada is not the largest supplier of medications to the U.S., tariffs could raise costs and strain supply chains. This study estimates that $3 billion in U.S. pharmaceuticals depend on Canadian manufacturing, with 25% tariffs adding $750 million in cost. Although the Inflation Reduction Act provisions limit cost pass-through to some payers (i.e., Medicare), manufacturers may still adjust production or alter distribution, increasing supply chain fragility. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Mina Tadrous, PharmD, PhD, email mina.tadrous@utoronto.ca. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website ...

Cardiovascular Health Among Rural and Urban US Adults— Healthcare, Lifestyle, and Social Factors

2025-03-31
About The Study: This national cross-sectional study found substantial rural-urban disparities in cardiometabolic risk factors and cardiovascular diseases, which were largest among younger adults and almost entirely explained by social risk factors. These findings suggest that efforts to improve socioeconomic conditions in rural communities may be critical to address the rural-urban gap in cardiovascular health. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Rishi K. Wadhera, MD, MPP, MPhil, email rwadhera@bidmc.harvard.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2025.0538) Editor’s ...

Study finds gap between heart disease outcomes in men and women has narrowed over past 20 years

Study finds gap between heart disease outcomes in men and women has narrowed over past 20 years
2025-03-31
While the typical image of someone suffering a heart attack might be a man clutching his chest, heart disease is a major problem for women, too. In fact, it’s the leading cause of death among women in the United States, with nearly 45% of the nation’s women over age 20 living with some form of cardiovascular disease. A new study from heart researchers at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City shows that while rates of death and other cardiac-related events – like heart attack ­– are still high for women, the ...

New study links lower proportions of certain sleep stages to brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease

2025-03-31
DARIEN, IL — New research reveals that lower proportions of specific sleep stages are associated with reduced brain volume in regions vulnerable to the development of Alzheimer’s disease over time. Results show that individuals with lower proportions of time spent in slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep had smaller volumes in critical brain regions, particularly the inferior parietal region, which is known to undergo early structural changes in Alzheimer’s disease. The results were adjusted for potential confounders including demographic characteristics, smoking history, alcohol use, hypertension, and coronary heart disease. “Our findings provide ...

Long-term practice of Transcendental Meditation may reduce both stress and aging

Long-term practice of Transcendental Meditation may reduce both stress and aging
2025-03-31
A collaborative study conducted by researchers at Maharishi International University (MIU), the University of Siegen, and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences reveals that individuals practicing Transcendental Meditation® (TM®) technologies long-term show favorable biological markers of aging and stress. The research compared gene expression, cognitive function (via EEG), and hair glucocorticoids (cortisol and cortisone) in 12-year and 40-year TM groups and non-meditator controls. “This study provides evidence that long-term practice of TM technologies has a broad range of health benefits at the molecular ...

Delicate balancing act determines how many genome gateways form in cells

Delicate balancing act determines how many genome gateways form in cells
2025-03-31
EMBARGOED UNTIL MONDAY, MARCH 31 – 11:00 AM Eastern The nuclei in our cells are miniature warehouses safeguarding the genetic blueprint for the body’s biologic machinery. As warehouses go, nuclei are more like libraries than bank vaults. Too many cellular components need access to the genome to lock it down like Fort Knox. Instead, large groupings of more than 1,000 individual protein molecules called nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) pepper the dividing membrane, serving as gateways for materials and messages entering and exiting the nucleus. While the basic need for this shuttle service is constant, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Higher cigarette taxes may improve childhood survival

Exercise can counter detrimental effects of cancer treatment

Too few ward nurses linked to longer hospital stay, readmission, and risk of death

Friendship bracelet: New technology connects neurodiverse groups of children

Forest in sync: Spruce trees communicate during a solar eclipse

Parents take a year to ‘tune in’ to their child’s feelings about starting school, research suggests

American Heart Association stands together with Arkansas and against the soda industry to reduce sugary drink consumption

AI-ECG tools can help clinicians identify heart issues early in women planning to have children

NIH’s initiative to prioritize human-based research a ‘big win for animals,’ says doctors group

Nearly one-quarter of e-Scooter injuries involved substance impaired riders

Age, previous sports experience, stronger predictors of performance in children than previous concussions, York U study finds

Dogs with meningiomas live longer with radiation therapy than surgery, Texas A&M researchers find

Pregnancy-related proteins in tumors linked to worse survival in female lung cancer patients

New study highlights success of financial toxicity tumor board in reducing cancer treatment costs 

CAD/CAM shows clinical benefits in jaw reconstruction, reports Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Missed school is an overlooked consequence of climate change

Reasons why anxiety and depression promote low self-belief revealed

UMass Amherst graduate student’s discovery shows that even neutral molecules take sides when it comes to biochemistry

Electroactive biofiltration dynamic membrane: A new hope for wastewater treatment

Disparities in breast reconstruction persist after ACA, reports Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Making magnetic biomaterials

Synchrotron in a closet: Bringing powerful 3D X-ray microscopy to smaller labs

Multiscale fibrous reinforcements yield high-performance construction composite

Using “shallow shadows” to uncover quantum properties

China’s EV ultrafast charging stations: Challenges, solutions, and costs

AACR: New CAR T cell therapy benefits patients with advanced thyroid cancers

AcrOSS platform: Advancing safe UAS operations in critical areas

Quantum computing paves the way for low-carbon building operations

HonorHealth Research Institute presents new findings in decades-long quest to conquer aggressive pancreatic cancer

HonorHealth Research Institute is the first of 50 sites worldwide to treat a patient in a new clinical study aimed at melanoma

[Press-News.org] Rice scientists pioneer method to tackle ‘forever chemicals’
New process upcycles hazardous chemicals, ‘transforms waste into a resource’