Numat CEO Ben Hernandez on mitigating the risks of hazardous chemicals

Numat's solutions enabled by metal-organic frameworks operate at the nanoscale to neutralize chemical hazards. Interest is growing in their application in chemical defense equipment.

Outside the chemical industry, few business leaders are likely familiar with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs); however, MOFs are garnering significant attention because of their unique combination of material properties. Composed of metal ions and organic molecules, MOFs form a highly porous 3D-networked structure in which the pores can be "tuned" to capture, interact with, or release a variety of targets. Companies across industries are exploring using MOFs in applications such as storing gases (for instance, carbon emissions), separating chemicals, delivering drugs to the body, and protecting against hazardous chemicals, including chemical weapons.

Despite the Chemical Weapons Convention, an official ban of chemical weapons by the international community, the risk chemical weapons pose still necessitates solutions to mitigate their hazardous and harmful effects. McKinsey associate partner Karl Hujsak sat down with Ben Hernandez, founder and CEO of Numat, to understand more about the potential of this material in chemical defense equipment. Numat, based in Chicago, provides filtration technologies whose MOF-enabled solutions are specifically designed "to reduce the negative impact of chemical products and processes on human health and the environment."

Read the full article by Karl Hujsak