Novel UV Light Treatment Breaks Down Forever Chemicals in Hours

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluroalkyl substances or PFAS have earned the moniker "forever chemicals" because of their ability to persist in the environment for prolonged periods. In recent years it is increasingly being shown that these substances pose serious threats to public health. In light of this, scientists have been ramping up efforts to find better ways to break down the compounds before causing detrimental harm.

Recently, a team of researchers developed a breakthrough technique that can break down forever chemicals in a matter of hours using a novel UV light treatment.

Understanding PFAS

Fire extinguisher PFAS — Pixabay from Pexels

PFAS, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, is a large complex group of manufactured chemicals used on various everyday products. Non-stick pans, stain-proof carpets, and firefighting chemicals are all credited with expanding forever chemicals. PFAS, with over 4,000 different compounds, is used in automotive, aerospace, construction, military, and even electronics.

Since its widespread use during the 1940s, studies have associated the use of forever chemicals with various health conditions, including impaired immune system function and even cancers.

Meanwhile, several advances and ongoing efforts to eliminate these persistent chemicals from the environment, such as in 2020, have demonstrated novel powders that can be used as catalysts to destroy PFAS in blood could be reduced by up to 30% with regular blood donations.

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Novel UV Light Treatment Breaks Down Persistent Forever Chemicals in Hours

One of the latest breakthroughs in the field comes from researchers from the University of California, Riverside, experimenting with various ways to break down PFAS through photochemical reactions in 2017.

Adding PFAS to a water treatment reactor that contained sulfite and succeeding exposure to UV light had shown to break down the persistent compounds effectively. The chemical reaction, however, unfolds very slowly; hence the process requires a lot of energy while failing to dismantle all of the stubborn carbon-fluorine bonds that underpin the PFAS's long-lasting nature.

In an effort to improve results, the team made adjustments to their methodology. The team tweaked the process and last year found groundbreaking success. In the study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, titled "Accelerated Degradation of Perfluorosulfonates and Perfluorocarboxylates by UV/Sulfite + Iodide: Reaction Mechanisms and System Efficiencies," the team built on the discovery that oxidation treatments both before and after the baths led to the destruction of the carbon-fluorine bonds by 100% in major PFAS pollutants.

Incorporating iodide into the UV and sulfite treatment led to performance benefits that easily broke down common PFAS forms. Also, concentrating the brine solution proved effective in breaking down problematic four-carbon PFAS completely removed from the solution in 24 hours, reports NewAtlas.

The authors of the study wrote that iodide is doing some substantial work. It speeds up the reaction, leading to the breaking down of persistent PFAS, and allows the treatment of a ten times higher concentration of the compounds.