Scaling up water treatment technologies for PFAS destruction: current status and potential for fit-for-purpose application

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are highly persistent and widespread contaminants that occur in many unconventional water resources at concentrations preventing the water’s use for beneficial purposes. Electrochemical oxidation, low-temperature plasma treatment, and sonolysis are three advanced water treatment technologies that have recently become commercially available for PFAS destruction. Specific treatment aspects that depend on both water quality and water quantity define each technology’s own niche in fit-for-purpose applications. With the shared ability to destroy PFAS down to very low parts-per-trillion levels, these three water treatment technologies offer practical and field-ready solutions to tap into the great wealth of unconventional water resources.