Packing Up PFAS
PFAS is a group of so-called “forever chemicals” widely used since the 1950s. After years of extensive use, these chemicals are now found all around the world in soil, water, wildlife and even people. Last year, when PFAS was put on the political agenda, it shut down the complete building sector of The Netherlands, because the majority of Dutch soil tested positive. PFAS consists of a very strong chemical bond (C-F), making them resistant to natural degradation while threatening human health and the environment.
How to clean up this mess?
With this graduation project, designer Emy Bensdorp offers a solution. She applied a remediation technique called thermal treatment to transform PFAS-contaminated soil into clean bricks. Contaminated soils originating from Barendrecht, Waddinxveen and PFAS hotspot Schiphol were heated up to 900-1200°, destroying the PFAS while creating ceramic material.
The outcomes reveal bricks in a variety of natural hues and all that remains of its dirty past is the stamp that states the location of origin and amount of PFAS removed.
Text submitted by the maker and edited by the Future Materials Bank. For information about reproducing (a part of) this text, please contact the maker.