A team from UNSW Sydney’s School of Chemistry — led by Dr. Jun Sun and professor Naresh Kumar — has developed a new catalyst system for breaking down branched PFAS.
The team collaborated with professors Denis O’Carroll, Michael Manefield, and Dr. Matthew Lee from the UNSW School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The catalyst system designed by the researchers offers a robust, simple and cost-effective solution for PFAS remediation, successfully demonstrated in laboratory tests.
PFAS, characterized by their strong carbon-fluoride bonds, are difficult to degrade. Traditional methods like absorption onto activated carbon require burning or storing the carbon material, which is inefficient and environmentally harmful, according to the researchers. Other approaches using strong oxidizing agents break PFAS into smaller, harder-to-remove structures.
The new method employs nano zero-valent metals (nZVMs) and a synthesized porphyrin ring catalyst, inspired by the naturally occurring catalyst vitamin B12. Testing on branched PFOS and PFOA showed that the new catalyst system significantly outperformed B12, achieving about 75% defluorination within five hours compared to less than 8% with B12.
This breakthrough offers an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly approach to PFAS remediation, potentially transforming how these pollutants are managed and mitigated in water supplies. Read more about it here.
