The sponges, if ever produced at an industrial scale, Wang says, could be used in wastewater-treatment plants to filter out microplastics or in food-production facilities to decontaminate water.

The filter captures all types of PFCs, while charcoal filters catch only the two most worrisome types. He said Clarosafe lasts 30 times as long and needs one-quarter the space.

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Researchers have developed nano-sponges made of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) on graphene that can efficiently filter industrial pollutants out of water Depositphotos View 2 Images ...