Chemical decapitation renders PFAS harmless

By Rebecca Trager2022-08-22T14:51:00

A photo shot from above of someone's hand holding the handle of a non-stick frying pan. The pan is sitting on what looks like a table with a red tablecloth.

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An unexpected mechanism destroys persistent perfluorinated chemicals, though the method isn’t ready for the field yet

Chemically beheading per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) with inexpensive solvents and reagents destroys these persistent compounds. Although the method isn’t ready for field applications yet, experts say it is a promising start to address the problem of these bioaccumulative pollutants.