100% of Toxic “Forever Chemicals" Break Down Overnight in New Reaction
Scientists in Japan have developed a new method for breaking down toxic “forever chemicals” quickly and at room temperature. The technique broke down 100% of certain types of these pollutants overnight, recovering some useful components for reuse.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a broad class of chemicals that have excellent stability and resistance to water and heat, largely thanks to their strong carbon-fluorine bonds. This makes them perfect for everything from non-stick cookware to firefighting foam and water-repellant clothing.
But those super-strong bonds have a downside too – since they don’t break down, the chemicals tend to linger in the environment essentially “forever,” hence their nickname. Worse still, when they accumulate in the human body they’ve been linked to diabetes, fertility issues, various cancers, immune system disruption, and many other health conditions.
Now, scientists at Ritsumeikan University in Japan have developed a new method for breaking down PFAS. Semiconductor nanocrystals of cadmium sulfide (CdS), some of which are doped in copper, are the active ingredients in a solution that also contains water, a compound called triethanolamine (TEOA), and of course the PFAS chemicals waiting to be treated.
