PFAS - CarboHyde

Removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances

Nov 6, 2025adminToday's cyclodextrincyclodextrin, PFAS

We have already seen many cyclodextrin-based approaches to the problem. Some more scientific, others, like that of Cyclopure, completely practival.

This review from Dario Lacalamita, Chiara Mongiovì, Grégorio Crini & Nadia Morin-Crini collects the strategies of CDs dealing with forever pollutants.

Cyclodextrin-based materials include cross-linked compounds, molecularly imprinted polymers, covalent organic frameworks, and silica hybrids.

Cyclodextrin-based materials are much more efficient for the remediation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, because these cage molecules can be designed to specifically recognize pollutants.

As a consequence, cyclodextrin-based materials display much higher adsorption coefficients, in the range of 104—106 L per Kg, compared to less than 104 L per Kg for activated carbon.

Cyclodextrins for the removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances: a review | Environmental Chemistry Letters

Towards an efficient method for removing PFAS from water

Today’s cyclodextrin is highlighting a wonderful and important achievement from Aalborg University by Mads Koustrup Jørgensen and Thorbjørn Terndrup Nielsen, who are combining cyclodextrin chemistry and membrane technology in a new filtration project. They hope to present an effective and economically sustainable method for removing PFAS from our drinking water within a few years.

“In short, by rinsing a membrane in a specific alcohol solution of cyclodextrins, we can make the cyclodextrins bind to the membrane surface, making it functional for PFAS absorption without the need for complex chemistry,” says Mads Koustrup Jørgensen.