University of Missouri professor Susie Dai has begun a three-year study researching how to use fungi to filter forever chemicals out of water. Dai is a professor in the department of chemical and biomedical engineering and has been researching how lignin, a polymer found in cell walls, and Irpex lacteus, a wood-rotting fungus, could remove polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, out of water.
Forever chemicals are in water, air, fish and soil across the world, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. While the extent of forever chemicals impact on human health isn’t fully known, scientists know they could lead to cancer or immune deficiencies.
“This is a group of very interesting, very diverse organic compounds that human beings have been able to synthesize for the last century,” said Dai. “However, because of the very stable structure, together with fluorine, this chemical can be very harmful to the ecosystem.”
These chemicals are difficult to treat because they are stable and contain a strong carbon-fluorine bond. They would also be expensive to treat on a wide scale, costing about $1.5 billion each year, according to the EPA.
Dai and her team are working to create a water filter with a fungi solvent that helps remove forever chemicals, and it would be available to purchase. But Dai says the fungus they are using, Irpex lacteus, may not be the right one to use in the long run.
“I’m pretty confident it’s not the best one to work on this job, but it’s the best available to us at that time,” said Dai. “So the lab containers will come in exploring, identifying new fungus strains to do this type of work.”
Dai does acknowledge that after the filter is used, people would throw it away, creating a “vicious cycle.” So, she is considering alternatives to throwing the filters out, like using a downstream treatment to degrade or detoxify the solvent.
While Dai and her team will be researching this for the next three years, the work is built on research she has done in the previous years.
“Currently my lab is more focused on the research and development, which means we work, looking for the best way to make the chemistry happen,” Dai said.
