PFAS Cleanup: A Sustainable Solution for the Disposal of PFAS
- Challenge:A Healthy Environment for All Challenge
- Co-Funders:European Union
- Phase:Grow
- Team Lead:Prof. Cormac Murphy, University College Dublin
- Team Co-Lead:Prof. James Sullivan, University College Dublin
- Societal Impact Champion:Richard Kennedy, ENVA Ireland Ltd
Funders
Funded by: European Union & Government of Ireland
The challenge is to find a sustainable solution to disposing of the aqueous film firefighting foams that contain per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS). Foams containing these substances are stored across Ireland, as they are required to fight fires caused by flammable liquids, but after 2024 they can no longer be used. PFAS are sometimes called ‘forever chemicals’ because they persist in the environment and can negatively affect human health.
Current solutions to disposing of the foams, such as incineration, are not environmentally friendly, and it is not possible to use landfill or discharge into water courses. Our proposed solution is to use a combination of photochemistry and microbiology to degrade the PFAS in firefighting foams to harmless substances. Such an approach has not yet been investigated, but our early results are promising.