The PFAS monster is also a moving target. New compounds are still being created and used. There are more than 12,000 of them, and much of the cleanup research focuses on only a small handful.
The progress
Cleansing PFAS-contaminated soil is a project in its infancy, but it is possible to prevent more buildup by pulling the chemicals out of water systems. There are two ways to handle this: trap or destroy. Some scientists have found reverse osmosis—a process that pushes water through supertight filters—useful in point-of-use cases, like water filters at kitchen sinks.
Other techniques in the pipeline might be more suitable for large-scale removal—for example, at water treatment facilities. One, called foam fractionation, generates bubbles that capture PFAS. More approaches, like ensnaring the chemicals in nanothin layers of charged metal, are also under investigation.
Trapping, though, is imperfect. You’re left with PFAS-filled brine, which if not properly destroyed (an expensive and energy-sucking endeavor) can still end up in the environment.
Jack Huang, a professor of crop and soil sciences at the University of Georgia, is working on destruction. He’s testing a method called electrochemical degradation, which uses electrodes to break down the bonds that hold PFAS together. The product destroyed more than 90% of PFAS mass in tests and has already been licensed by the engineering consulting firm AECOM.
Ridding life of PFAS is also a policy challenge. There are alternatives; we just need the push to use them. And we’ve had success before: The EPA’s 2010/2015 PFOA Stewardship Program has helped slash the release of water-repellent perfluorooctanoic acid by 95%. More recently, Minnesota, Maine, and New Mexico have passed bans on PFAS in products like cookware and dental floss.
Progress meter ………… 6
Scientists are making strides toward removing and destroying PFAS—but it’ll be all for naught if we don’t turn off the tap.
