A team of chemists from the University of Adelaide discovered a safer, more inventive way to dispose of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), aka forever chemicals. These emerging, unregulated, man-made chemicals are associated with reproductive harms, cardiovascular disease, neurodevelopmental issues and more. Since the 1950s, these toxic chemicals have been widely adopted in many industrial and consumer products, including for instance, non-stick cookware. People have started to call them ‘forever chemicals. Bioengineering researcher Dr. Cameron Shearer and his team have spent the last five years fine-tuning their process. Their diligent efforts show great promise for partial and even total degradation of PFAS samples.
No matter how you slice it—the bad brewski, as the research team refers to PFAS—these carry substantial environmental consequences. They’re investigating the economic viability of commercializing their technique. Dr. Shearer reported that their results so far are very encouraging. Still, he said the technique’s commercial viability ultimately hinges on the numbers.
“Unfortunately, even though this is a health issue that we are trying to solve, there are economics involved in whether this would go to market or not.” – Dr. Cameron Shearer
Progress in Degradation Techniques
This new research, funded by the Department of Defense’s Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, has achieved robust degradation of PFAS samples. The team has previously treated contaminated samples from South Australia, with the technology successfully degrading 100 per cent of PFAS. This success is a huge testament to how far we’ve come in recognizing and addressing the real environmental contamination.
“We used some actual contaminated PFAS samples from a site here in South Australia and we treated it … we ended up with completely degraded PFAS in the area sample, not just like lab-scale, lab-sized samples,” – Mahmoud Adel Hamza
While the degradation process itself does not produce any harmful by-products like fluoride, the general process requires further scrutiny. Dr. Shearer stressed the importance of evaluating the toxicity of these by-products. This has ensured that any resulting water and fluoride is safe both for the environment and public health.
Future Research and Development
Mr. Hamza figured that the research team has at least an additional three to five years. This next period will give them the time needed to upscale their powder production process. He noted that their preliminary findings look very promising. They must further work on the stability of the powder and hasten the degradation process.
The team is now focused on improving the powder’s shelf life. They are equally interested in making sure it works against a whole suite of PFAS molecules. Dr. Shearer emphasized that their approach is uniquely potent against long-chain PFAS. The danger to public health from these substances lies in their toxicity.
“It’s very effective against long PFAS chains, so these are the ones that are the greatest concern around their toxicity,” – Dr. Cameron Shearer
He admitted that shorter PFAS molecules do not have the same efficacy. Their current approach is inadequate with these smaller molecules.
A Path Towards Commercialization
The researchers hope their novel approach will lead to an efficient cleanup of contaminated sites. This Climate Smart Strategy will address one of society’s most pressing environmental problems. Dr. Shearer was particularly excited about what their research could mean in the future.
“So we should be converting this chemical which has potential harm into something which has some potential good,” – Dr. Cameron Shearer
The team are busy preparing for the launch of their research. They are justifiably hopeful that their efforts will meaningfully mitigate the negative impacts PFAS have on human health and the environment.
