Full Breakdown
German Researchers Demonstrate Two Novel PFAS-Destruction Techniques
8/8/2026, 8:58:00 PM
New Laboratory Techniques Target “Forever Chemicals”
A research team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) has shown that hydrodynamic cavitation and cold-atmospheric plasma, each paired with gas dispersion, can break the carbon-fluorine bonds that give per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) their extreme persistence. The work is part of Germany’s “National Water Strategy,” which seeks to safeguard drinking-water supplies by removing PFAS before they enter rivers, lakes and oceans.
How the Methods Work
In hydrodynamic cavitation, PFAS-laden water is forced through a narrow constriction, creating vapor bubbles that collapse downstream. The collapse generates temperature spikes of several thousand °C and hydroxyl radicals that attack PFAS molecules attached to the bubble surfaces.
The plasma approach creates a reactive zone at the water surface while simultaneously injecting gas bubbles. PFAS adhere to the bubbles, rise, and encounter plasma-generated species that decompose the compounds.
Performance Results
Tests on tap water containing perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) showed that cavitation degraded roughly 37 % of dissolved PFOS, with fluoride concentrations rising as treatment time increased. Researchers aim to raise degradation to over 80 % and achieve mineralisation of more than 50 % of bound fluorine.
The plasma method achieved near-complete degradation of both short- and long-chain PFAS and released about 35 % of the fluorine as fluoride salts. However, it consumes substantially more energy per volume and produces transformation products that have not yet been fully characterised.
Official Outlook and Future Plans
HZDR scientists are scaling the plasma system from about 50 mL to five L by adding multiple electrodes and a technical gas injector. The longer-term goal is to combine plasma treatment with cavitation, leveraging the rapid reaction kinetics of plasma and the broader radical activity of cavitation to improve overall removal efficiency while managing energy use and by-product formation.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We generated plasma at the water surface while simultaneously introducing gas into the PFAS-contaminated water,” — Sebastian Reinecke, head of the Department of Water and Environmental Technologies at HZDR
- “I believe we’ll achieve high degradation rates by combining the highly reactive species from the plasma with the effects of cavitation,” — Reinecke. If
