Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 28, 2026
06:35
Implementation of a Hyperbolic Vortex Plasma Reactor for the Removal of Micropollutants in Water
Published on: July 25, 2025
990
Highly Efficient Removal of PFAS from Water Using Surface-Modified Regenerable Quaternized Chitosan Hydrogels
Mohammad Bagheri Kashani1, Lingfei Fan2, Weile Yan2
1Department of Plastics Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA 01854, USA.
Gels (Basel, Switzerland)
|January 27, 2026
Summary
Surface-modified quaternized chitosan hydrogels (MQCGs) efficiently remove long- and short-chain PFAS from water. These engineered hydrogels offer high adsorption capacity and recyclability for PFAS remediation.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants.
- Existing remediation technologies for PFAS are often costly or inefficient.
- Bio-based materials offer a sustainable alternative for water treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop surface-modified bio-based hydrogels for efficient PFAS removal.
- To engineer hydrogel surface area and charge density for enhanced adsorption.
- To evaluate the performance and regenerability of these novel hydrogels.
Main Methods:
- Chitosan hydrogels were crosslinked and quaternized.
- Sacrificial templating with polyethylene glycol (PEG) created microscale surface channels.
- Batch adsorption experiments were conducted using various PFAS compounds.
- Adsorption kinetics and isotherms were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Surface-modified quaternized chitosan hydrogels (MQCGs) achieved >98% PFOS adsorption in <30 min.
- MQCGs effectively removed both long- and short-chain PFAS across a wide pH range (3-12).
- High removal efficiency (>99.9%) was observed for PFOS, PFOA, PFBS, and PFHxA, even at low concentrations and in the presence of electrolytes.
Conclusions:
- Engineered MQCGs demonstrate superior adsorption capacity and selectivity for PFAS.
- The hydrogels maintained performance over 10 regeneration cycles, indicating excellent reusability.
- MQCGs represent a promising new class of sustainable materials for effective PFAS sequestration from contaminated water.
Related Concept Videos
02:34Water and Mineral Acquisition
35.6K
Specialized tissues in plant roots have evolved to capture water, minerals, and some ions from the soil. Roots exhibit a variety of branching patterns that facilitate this process. The outermost root cells have specialized structures called root hairs that increase the root surface, thus increasing soil contact. Water can passively cross into roots, as the concentration of water in the soil is higher than that of the root tissue. Minerals, in contrast, are actively transported into root cells.
35.6K
01:00The Water Cycle
28.4K
The Earth’s hydrosphere includes all of the areas where the storage and movement of water occurs. Since water is the basis of all living processes, the cycling of water is extremely important to ecosystem dynamics.
28.4K
01:23States of Water
56.7K
Water exists in any one of the three classical states: solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (steam or water vapor). The state of water depends on i) the intermolecular forces that draw molecules together and ii) the kinetic energy that leads to movements that pull them apart.
Water freezes when the intermolecular forces are greater than the kinetic energy. Unlike most other substances, water is less dense in its solid state than in its liquid state. This is because each water molecule can form...
Water freezes when the intermolecular forces are greater than the kinetic energy. Unlike most other substances, water is less dense in its solid state than in its liquid state. This is because each water molecule can form...
56.7K
01:19Quality of Water
553
In concrete preparation, the quality of water is paramount as it affects the strength and durability of the concrete. Potable water is usually preferred; however, it must not have excessive sodium or potassium to prevent compromising the concrete's integrity. Water quality is typically evaluated based on impurities such as dissolved solids, chlorides, and sulfates, and its pH value is ideally between 6 and 8. Even slightly acidic natural water may be acceptable unless it contains harmful...
553
01:19Overview of Regeneration and Repair
5.1K
Regeneration and repair processes are critical in healing damages caused by injury, disease, and aging. In regeneration, the damaged tissue is entirely replaced with new growth that restores the original architecture and function. In contrast, tissue repair usually results in a fixed tissue architecture involving scar formation. Scars generally do not reestablish tissue function and may also exhibit structural abnormalities at the injury site.
Regeneration
All animals have varying degrees of...
Regeneration
All animals have varying degrees of...
5.1K
01:33Whole Body Regeneration
4.1K
Regeneration is the process of restoring injured or lost tissues, organs, or body parts. While simpler organisms generally show greater ability to regenerate their whole body, few complex animals show similarly exceptional regeneration. For example, planarian flatworms have a unique regenerative potential making them a popular study organism among biologists to understand the mechanisms of whole body regeneration. Other organisms, such as hydra, also show extreme regeneration potential;...
4.1K