Innovations in PFAS remediation: a review on the growing role of cold plasma technology

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of highly persistent and bioaccumulative environmental contaminants that have raised global concern due to their mobility, toxicity, and resistance to degradation. Conventional treatment technologies often fall short in achieving sufficiently high levels of destruction, particularly in complex matrices such as groundwater, wastewater, or soil. In this context, cold plasma technology has emerged as a promising, chemical-free approach for the effective and energy-efficient degradation of PFAS. Cold plasma produces a rich mixture of oxidative and reductive species, electrons, UV photons, and electric fields, capable of breaking down the strong carbon‑fluorine bonds characteristic of PFAS compounds. This critical review provides a comprehensive assessment of recent research efforts on the application of cold plasma for PFAS remediation from aqueous and solid-phase environments. It systematically examines the influence of plasma types and reactor configurations, along with working gases, water matrices, plasma electrical parameters, and treatment conditions on degradation efficiency. Key factors such as plasma chemistry, energy consumption, pH, treatment duration, and PFAS structure are analyzed in detail. The review also addresses mechanistic insights, degradation pathways, and the main challenges for scaling cold plasma systems for real-world applications, including energy demand and integration with existing infrastructure. By critically synthesizing current findings, this review highlights the growing role of cold plasma in PFAS destruction and identifies research gaps and technological directions necessary to advance its practical deployment in environmental remediation.