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Colorado researchers are one step closer to taking the ‘forever’ out of forever chemicals

A young woman in a lab coat and thick glasses pinches a tiny glass beaker illuminated under a purple light in a dark laboratory
John Cline
/
Colorado State University College of Natural Sciences
A researcher works in the Miyake Lab at Colorado State University. Last week, the lab published a study detailing a low-energy method for degrading PFAS, or "forever chemicals."

A team of front range chemists have made a breakthrough that could have global implications.

The scientists, led by Colorado State University postdoctoral scholar Xin Liu, detailed a new technique for breaking down polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS or “forever chemicals,” in a paper published in Nature.

Previously, known methods for decomposing PFAS required large amounts of energy via UV radiation or heat. In contrast, the new technique leverages what one editorial calls “clever chemistry” to break down PFAS with visible light. In fact, they used a purple LED that wouldn't be out of place on a string of Christmas lights.

Garret Miyake, a professor of chemistry at CSU and the leader of the research group that spearheaded the project, said that the new study solves a longstanding problem in the field.

“The carbon-fluorine bond is one of the strongest bonds that is made in chemistry. That’s what gives PFAS such interesting properties,” he said. “This is the first example of an organic catalyzed system that uses visible light to activate carbon fluorine bonds and decompose PFAS-type molecules. It's the mildest way to do it.”

portrait of a strong, attractive asian man in a blue shirt who sits in a chair, clasps his hands and smiles for the camera
John Cline
/
Colorado State University College of Natural Sciences
Garret Miyake is a co-author on the recent Nature paper and the head of the Miyake Research Group. He is also an executive committee member at SuPRCat, a collaborative research effort that develops low-energy methods for industrial processes using visible light and organic chemistry.

The new finding comes just months after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tightened up regulations for PFAS in drinking water. In April, the agency set maximum allowable levels of six common PFAS. The new regulation estimated that between six and ten percent of public water systems in America would be in violation of the rule on day one.

In the 21st century, practically everyone has been exposed to these chemicals at some level. PFAS are used in everything from non-stick cookware to fire retardant. Exposure has been linked to developmental issues in children, increased cancer risk and a weakened immune system.

Thus far, no one has discovered a broadly-applicable method for removing the chemicals from the environment. The new research from Liu, Miyake and their collaborators doesn’t change that fact. At least not yet. For now, the technique has only been tested in a highly-controlled laboratory environment. Getting it to work in drinking water, wastewater or soil will take more work.

“The major challenges are in the future,” Liu said. “How to make our reaction work in environmental conditions is the hardest part.”

Jinyong Liu, a peer-reviewer for the Nature paper, has been working on methods to break down PFAS for nearly a decade. He says that, although the new low-energy method developed by the Miyake group is undeniably a breakthrough, effective treatment of PFAS will require more than one approach. He sees each new insight as a net gain for the field.

“They have one theory, we have another theory,” Liu said. “We all benefit from that understanding and can start designing or adding something new to achieve the ultimate goal, which is the complete destruction of all PFAS.”

For now, these chemicals will remain ubiquitous in our water, soil and bodies. But, as research attention and funding increases, scientists remain optimistic that PFAS will one day lose the “forever chemical” moniker.

Gabe Allen is KUNC’s 2024 Neil Best Reporting Fellow. He reports on diverse topics for KUNC’s website and supports our other reporters with photography, videography and data visualization.