Throughout the 20th century, polyfluoroalkyl substances (more commonly known as PFAS) were produced in vast quantities due to their unique properties. They are almost completely unreactive, they don’t degrade, and other materials don’t stick to them. Unfortunately, we now know these “forever chemicals” are also toxic, and they’ve spread through the entire biosphere on Earth. A new study points to a way we might be able to break down dangerous PFAS chemicals. It’s a long way from a solution that can clean up the whole of Earth, but it’s a big step in the right direction.
Companies like DuPont and 3M spent decades cranking out PFAS, which were used in everything from lipstick to non-stick cookware. The incredible stability of PFAS was a big selling point, but that’s exactly what makes them so dangerous now that we have decades of hindsight at our disposal. PFAS molecules accumulate in the environment, as well as in the human body. We have no biological mechanism to clear them, so they just build up and can cause a host of health conditions, including cancer, organ damage, and pregnancy complications.
The companies that made millions selling PFAS have been paying huge fines in the last few years. 3M was forced to cough up $850 million in 2018 as compensation for contaminating groundwater in Minnesota with PFAS. All the money in the world won’t get rid of accumulating PFAS, which are still manufactured for specific uses. What might is the technique devised by chemist Brittany Trang and her team from Northwestern University.
PFAS coatings can make fabrics water-repellant. (Credit: Brocken Inaglory/Wikimedia)
According to the new study, the team tried several methods to break apart PFAS. Then, they used quantum mechanical models to analyze how they came apart. It only takes a few common chemicals under the right conditions to turn a type of concentrated PFAS into smaller, non-toxic components. The researchers combined the PFAS, lye, and a solvent called DMSO. The mixture was heated to between 80 and 120 degrees Celsius (176-248 degrees Fahrenheit). After four hours, 80 percent of the PFAS had degraded, and after 12 hours it was 90 percent gone. In its place was a collection of common carbon-bearing molecules like oxalate and glycolic acid.
While this is an important step toward cleaning up forever chemicals, it’s not a silver bullet. It doesn’t work on all types of PFAS, and there are more than 5,000 different compounds out there. The reaction doesn’t work at all on the sulfonates class of PFAS, which is one of the most common. You also need to concentrate PFAS in a container to use this method, and much of the material is dispersed in the environment. Still, the molecular data provided by the team could lead to more research that gets us closer to making “forever” into “history.”
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