Scientists find another way to break down PFAS, but it’s not a silver bullet

A team of scientists from the University of Oxford and Colorado State University have found another way to break down a group of chemicals known as PFAS. This new method also allows scientists to recover fluoride for future use.

The so-called “forever chemicals,” or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are notorious for being hard to destroy.

University of Minnesota professor Lawrence Wackett, who is also developing a method for eradicating PFAS, said it’s an exciting discovery — but cautions it shouldn’t be seen as a silver bullet.

To hear more of the interview, use the audio player above or read the transcript below, which has been lightly edited for clarity.

This new method uses phosphate salts and ball bearings. How does that work?

Essentially, it’s this mechanical process but it's really chemical, too, because the phosphate is attacking the carbons that are harboring the fluorine and then picking up the fluorine. So, it’s coming off of the PFAS and it’s used in a dry state. It’s very effective for these polymers like Teflon.

In what cases is this most effective?

I think they’ve described it as a kind of an effective way to recycle. So, I think it would be useful if you have these very concentrated Teflon materials. [And] maybe, in the future, there’ll be Teflon recycling centers — just like we send our plastics to today.

So, the idea is not only breaking down the Teflon or these other fluoropolymers, but also then being able to use it to remanufacture. It makes it a more sustainable process overall.

Your research looks at ways to use enzymes that would basically eat away PFAS in the environment so that it wouldn’t persist?

That’s correct. We make digestive enzymes ourselves that get released into our intestine, that help break apart some of the proteins, carbohydrates and lipids that we take in.

It’s the same thing in the environment. So, it’s enzymes that get used. We study the natural enzymes that get produced, and we’re using some of those now to break down some of these fluorinated chemicals.

In our time, headlines are deliberately provocative. So, what do we need to keep in mind when we see headlines about this research?

I mean, that’s an important issue — trying to communicate science clearly so that everything doesn’t come out as this breakthrough that’s going to solve all the problems, right, because science doesn’t work that way. A lot of the work done in individual labs is an important component in this bigger piece.

But, I think the work at Oxford is very important work. It’s very fundamental in terms of understanding how phosphate can break a carbon-fluorine bond, which might then lead to other ideas of maybe designing better enzymes. Or better ways to attack the more distributed PFAS waste, which is what I’m investigating.

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