Why Use PFAS To Improve Water Quality?

PFAs water treatment

PFAs water treatment

PFAs are Polyfluorinated Substances used to improve the quality of water. Since 1950, PFAs have been used in industrial chemicals and consumer products as man-made chemicals. PFAs water treatment is widely used in water repellents, foams used for firefighting, some cosmetics, non-stick cookware, water, products that are grease resistant, oil, and stain-resistant carpets and fabrics. 

Though many substitute products have been launched, the PFAs products are not safe compared to them. Still, the use of PFAs is not banned. The PFAs are also used for coating the cardboard papers or the coat papers for bakery and fast food items.

Exposure to PFAs: 

These chemicals are usually persistent and prevent degradation. So they prevail in the environment and gradually within your body. So, simply by drinking water or eating food, people can get contaminated with PFAs. 

According to the research, around 16 million people have been contaminated with PFAs through drinking water. PFAs can be exposed through food packaging, fish from contaminated water, and even the food items bought from the marketplace.

Benefits of Using PFAs: PFAs can be used in many sectors due to their varied advantages.

  • Consumer Products: Consumer products can enjoy huge benefits through PFAs in durability and fuel efficiency in planes, cars, electronics, and buildings. They are also used for providing enhanced properties like stain resistance, water, and oil to the products.
  • Activated Carbon Treatment: For improving the water quality for PFA removal, the activated carbon treatment can be used. Activated carbon is built up with organic materials with high content of carbon such as coal, lignite, and wood. It is the process where the absorption takes place for both the chemical and physical process of accumulating substances like the PFAs.
  • Ion Exchange Water Treatment: PFAs water treatment can be done through Ion exchange also. The resins for ION exchange are made up of highly porous material where the water remains insoluble. There are hydrocarbons and two different categories of resins- anionic and cationic. This treatment can successfully remove PFAs from the water and thus improving the quality of water.
  • High-Pressure Membranes: Processes like Reverse osmosis and nanofiltration can work for the removal of PFAs from the water. The nanofiltration will prevent the hardness of the substances. The reverse osmosis process helps to prevent the tighter membranes in the PFAs.According to some research, the high-pressure membrane techniques are effective till 90 percent of PFA purification from the water.

So, the water treatment processes help in improving the quality by removing the PFAs. Membrane Systems Australia can provide different ideas for improving the quality of the water. The PFAs can be dissolved in water and can mix properly with the properties of the water. The traditional system of purifying the water, will not be able to improve the quality of the water. So the water treatment process like the Ion exchange, high-pressure membranes, and activated carbon treatment can be helpful. These technologies can be used to improve the drinking water quality in places like homes, hospitals, and drinking water treatment facilities. The mechanism can be applied at the entry points of the water so that it gets filtered just at the entry.

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