University of Utah team develops low‑temperature PFAS destruction method

November 3, 2026 – Researchers at the University of Utah’s John and Marcia Price College of Engineering announced a new laboratory technique that breaks down per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under relatively mild conditions. The work, led by Ling Zang, distinguished professor of Materials Science & Engineering and Associate Dean for Research, appears in Communications Chemistry and aims to move PFAS cleanup beyond filtration toward actual detoxification.

The team used reactive nucleophiles to sever the strong carbon‑fluorine bonds that give PFAS their persistence. Defluorination released nearly all fluorine as fluoride from several tested compounds, including the notorious long‑chain PFAS PFOA and the small‑molecule trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). The same chemistry also removed fluorine efficiently from two fluorinated plastics, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), which are common in batteries, industrial products and munitions.

Most reactions proceeded at 110 °C (230 °F) or below, with a few requiring temperatures up to 150 °C. These temperatures are dramatically lower than the 1,000 °C or higher typically required for PFAS incineration, a process that can generate secondary pollutants such as smaller, more volatile fluorinated compounds that disperse into the atmosphere. The new method operates in ordinary air and does not need inert‑gas atmospheres, deep‑ultraviolet irradiation, highly reactive alkali metals, heavy‑metal catalysts, high pressure, or energy‑intensive mechanical processing.

Zang emphasized that “the ultimate goal is to destroy and detoxify PFAS and reduce their hazards, so cleanup does not simply move contamination from water into another waste stream.” The approach remains at the laboratory stage; future work will test alternative reagents, assess treatment costs, evaluate safety of residual products and apply the chemistry to real waste streams. What to watch: scaling the method for industrial‑scale PFAS waste treatment.

Editor's note: The draft is a comprehensive and accurate summary of the research announcement, effectively capturing the technical process and the significance of the findings.