Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as toxic “forever chemicals,” are polluting water and causing major health problems like heart and liver disease, birth defects, and cancer. Coflux Purification is creating a product that allows industries and water providers to cheaply remove harmful chemicals to provide safe drinking water at a fraction of current energy use.
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Alec Ajnsztajn
Alec Ajnsztajn is the founder and CEO of Coflux Purification. He received his B.S.E. from Duke University and a Ph.D. in materials science and nanoengineering from Rice University. Additionally, he co-founded the Fair for Houston/Yes on Prop B campaign in Houston, a citizen-led ballot initiative to reform regional infrastructure planning. He is passionate about how innovation can improve infrastructure and create a better world for all.
TECHNOLOGY
Critical Need
PFAS present a chronic environmental concern due to their inability to break down in the environment and their ability to move through rainwater and soil, eventually contaminating water sources. They impact drinking water, build up in fish and wildlife, and eventually bioaccumulate in the populations that consume them. The negative health impacts of PFAS have been proven, including infertility, developmental effects, risk of cancer, autoimmune issues, hormone imbalance, and more. PFAS is found in the blood of 97 percent of Americans, according to the CDC.
Technology Vision
Coflux Purification is developing a photocatalytic reactor to destroy PFAS. This reactor is enabled by the company’s photocatalytic absorbent, a fully organic catalytic system with an exceptionally high internal surface area. This absorbent allows for the removal of PFAS from water. After absorption, UV light triggers a photocatalytic reaction, which breaks down the PFAS into minerals already present in water. This permanently destroys the PFAS, removing them from drinking water and the environment.
Potential for Impact
PFAS contamination has high costs to both environmental and human health, and there is a pressing need for effective remediation technologies at the scale of global drinking water. Coflux Purification will offer a cost-effective PFAS destruction technology that will ensure clean water for people everywhere, leading to a healthier world with better infrastructure for all.
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