Scientists at UC Riverside, led by Professor Haizhou Liu, have discovered a chemical process that could help water providers comply with new federal standards limiting per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently set stringent limits on these harmful chemicals, prompting the need for effective cleanup solutions.
Liu's team found that high salt levels in wastewater, typically a hindrance in pollutant cleanup, can actually catalyze the breakdown of PFAS compounds when combined with short-wavelength ultraviolet light. This process effectively cleaves the strong fluorine-carbon bonds in PFAS, facilitating their destruction. This innovative method, detailed in the
