MIT develops silk-cellulose filter to address water contamination

MIT researchers have once again created a breakthrough in controlling water pollutants. A novel material for water filtration has been developed by the researchers using cellulose and silk. This natural filter exhibits promise in eliminating heavy metals and dangerous compounds from water, such as PFAS, sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals.” PFAS are hard to filter out of water and are present in a wide range of items, such as makeup and non-stick cookware.
A recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that 98% of people tested had PFAS in their bloodstream. In the U.S., over 57,000 sites are contaminated by PFAS, and cleaning up these sites is expected to cost $1.5 billion yearly to meet new regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). MIT’s new filter might provide a more sustainable and cost-effective solution to this issue.
The research team, led by MIT postdoctoral researcher Yilin Zhang and Professor Benedetto Marelli, combined silk nanofibrils with cellulose from agricultural waste. This combination not only enhanced the filter’s effectiveness in removing contaminants but also gave it strong antimicrobial properties, which help prevent bacterial and fungal fouling.

“These materials can really compete with the current standard materials in water filtration when it comes to extracting metal ions and these emerging contaminants, and they can also outperform some of them currently,” says Marelli.
Although the material’s silk is a byproduct of the silk textile industry, other protein sources might be required for larger-scale manufacture. After extensive testing, it is anticipated that the filter will be employed as a point-of-use alternative, such as an attachment for kitchen faucets, with potential future applications in municipal water supplies.

This innovative filtering material could first be utilized as kitchen faucet point-of-use filters. The possibility of scaling it up to municipal water treatment applications is another area of investigation for the researchers, pending additional testing to guarantee efficacy and safety. In order to increase scalability and cost-effectiveness, ongoing work is concentrated on strengthening the material’s durability and investigating substitute protein sources.

Hannes Schniepp, a professor of applied science at the College of William and Mary who was not involved in the research, praised the development. “What I love about this approach is that it is using only naturally grown materials like silk and cellulose to fight pollution… If this can be mass-produced in an economically viable way, this could really have a major impact.”
This innovative method of reducing pollution uses components that are grown naturally, and if it were to be economically mass-produced, it may have a substantial worldwide impact.