New process turns PFAS pollutant into fluoride

Publicly released:
Australia; SA
Credit: Manu Schwendener
Credit: Manu Schwendener

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have developed a sunlight-activated material that can degrade per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water, breaking down the pollutant into harmless components, including fluoride.

Media release

From: The University of Adelaide

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have developed a sunlight-activated material that can degrade per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water, breaking down the pollutant into harmless components, including fluoride.

The breakthrough discovery represents a promising low-energy solution for PFAS remediation, with potential applications in water treatment and environmental cleanup.

“PFAS contamination continues to pose a global health risk, and this research represents a critical step toward safer communities and cleaner ecosystems,” says lead researcher Dr Cameron Shearer, from the University of Adelaide.

“Many water contaminants are degraded by adding a reactive chemical that binds to the carbon. However, in PFAS molecules, the carbon atoms are protected in such a way that makes this process nearly impossible.

“Our team has altered conditions and optimised the catalyst to target the PFAS-protective F atoms, which resulted in complete breakdown of the forever chemicals.

“The produced fluoride can be isolated and used in healthcare products such as toothpaste or as additives to fertilisers.”

PFAS are a group of synthetic chemicals used in non-stick cookware, firefighting foams, and water-repellent fabrics that are extremely resistant to breakdown due to their strong carbon-fluorine bonds and therefore accumulate in the environment and human bodies.

The substances have been linked to serious health issues, including developmental disorders, infertility, and cancer.

Recent data shows more than 85 per cent of Australians have detectable PFAS in their blood, and new drinking water guidelines have lowered the safe limits for some PFAS chemicals to just nanograms per litre.

“The materials we have developed through our research could be used as part of PFAS-treatment chains that first capture and concentrate PFAS in water, which can then be degraded through exposure to our light-activated materials ,” says Dr Shearer, whose study is published in the journal Small.

“We plan to build on this study through our ongoing work improving the stability of the materials before they can be applied to large scale systems, a project that is being led by my University of Adelaide colleague Mahmoud Gharib.”

The University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia are joining forces to become Australia’s new major university – Adelaide University. Building on the strengths, legacies and resources of two leading universities, Adelaide University will deliver globally relevant research at scale, innovative, industry-informed teaching and an outstanding student experience. Adelaide University will open its doors in January 2026. Find out more on the Adelaide University website.

Journal/
conference:
Small
Research:Paper
Organisation/s: The University of Adelaide
Funder: M.A.H. acknowledges the financial support of the University of Adelaide for awarding the University of Adelaide Research Scholarship (UARS). C.J.S. thanks the Australian Research Council for financial support (FT190100854, DP250103235). The authors acknowledge SEM and ICPMS facilities at Adelaide Microscopy, University of Adelaide, a Microscopy Australia (ROR: 042mm0k03) facility enabled by NCRIS. Thanks to Dr. Paul Olin and Dr. Sarah Gilbert for their help in conducting QQQ-ICP-MS measurements. The authors acknowledge Josh Hutchings (Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Group, University of South Australia) for his help in running the LC-QQQ-MS experiments. M.A.H. acknowledges the help of Ehab Salih (University of Adelaide) in designing the firefighting cartoon in Figure 5a using AI implemented in Adobe Illustrator software. The authors acknowledge Yideng Shen (University of Adelaide) for his help with the SEM imaging. The authors acknowledge Enviropacific Services for their support and for providing the AFFF-contaminated samples. Open access publishing facilitated by The University of Adelaide, as part of the Wiley - The University of Adelaide agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.
Media Contact/s
Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.