Highlighting the pressing multi-billion dollar need for PFAS treatment

"Forever chemicals", the family of chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), is coming under regulatory pressure as concerns over the negative effects of PFAS mount. 

With awareness of PFAS contamination increasing, regulators are now backing measures to ensure that PFAS are removed from key sources in the environment. In its new report, "PFAS Treatment 2025-2035: Technologies, Regulations, Players, Applications", IDTechEx examines regulations on PFAS contamination worldwide to identify the need and opportunity for PFAS treatment technologies.

Concerns rising over PFAS
The OECD broadly defines PFAS as encompassing around 5,000-10,000 unique chemicals, including PFOA and PFOS. The applications of different PFAS chemicals are nearly as broad as the chemical family itself. Depending on the specific chemical, PFAS can confer helpful properties such as oil and water repellence, ionic conductivity, etc., making it applicable in many important areas, including semiconductor manufacturing and firefighting foams.

With so many PFAS and just as many applications for them, why are PFAS now coming under increased scrutiny? Scientific evidence is growing that, depending on different factors, continued exposure to specific PFAS may lead to negative health effects, such as increased risk of cancer, per the US EPA and the OECD.

Increasing global scrutiny on PFAS contamination in drinking water and the environment
PFAS has infiltrated the environment through numerous avenues: industrial discharge, usage of PFAS-containing firefighting foam, the leaching of PFAS-containing consumer goods, etc. One study estimated that over 57,000 sites in the USA are affected by PFAS contamination alone. As such, human exposure to PFAS can occur in many ways. One of the most concerning issues is drinking water, which affects millions across different countries.

In 2024, the US EPA instituted the lowest acceptable concentration levels for PFAS globally: 4 ppt (parts per trillion) each for PFOA and PFOS, plus further limits for 4 other PFAS. The US is not the first to institute limits on PFAS in drinking water. However, these rules are the lowest PFAS limits in the world, potentially indicating the future trajectory of regulatory trends for environmental PFAS contamination.

Treating PFAS in environment: Critical need and emerging opportunity
The scale of PFAS contamination and its threat to human health establishes a need to remove PFAS from the environment. Given the scale of PFAS contamination and its persistent nature, numerous treatment technologies will be required to accomplish this. 

IDTechEx has extensively explored the technology landscape for PFAS treatment, appraising both incumbent and novel treatments to separate PFAS from the environment and permanently destroy it. This includes well-known technologies for water treatment, such as granular activated carbon and ion exchange resins, and emerging technologies like foam fractionation. 

The PFAS destruction technology landscape has received particular focus recently as key stakeholders, including regulators and the public, worry about the possibility of PFAS that were initially removed escaping back into the environment. The most advanced emerging PFAS destruction technologies differ on variables like technology readiness level (TRL), active players, cost, and more, which IDTechEx has analyzed in their report.

PFAS treatment applications emerging in response to regulations
With so many water streams and sites contaminated with PFAS, it will take broad adoption of PFAS treatment technologies to effectively remediate the environment of PFAS. Additionally, each site or water source requiring treatment will have unique circumstances, such as the level of PFAS contamination, treatment objective, etc., that no single PFAS treatment can be universally applied. 

Different key areas, including municipal drinking water, aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), and industrial wastewater, will all have specific needs. Many combinations of PFAS removal and destruction technologies will be utilized to fully treat PFAS, so every technology may find its unique opportunity in this burgeoning market. 

Source: IDTechEx, USA.