When tackling complex environmental challenges, even well-intentioned solutions can create serious unintended consequences. Sometimes these trade-offs feel unavoidable. But with PFAS—one of the world’s most persistent, widespread, and costly environmental threats—we believe there is a better path forward.
PFAS, or Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, are a family of human-made chemicals found in everything from non-stick cookware and waterproof fabrics to Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) used globally for firefighting. Their durability is precisely what made them useful—and what now makes them extraordinarily difficult to eliminate.
This challenge is explored in a recent article in Waste Management Bulletin, “Environmental impact of PFAS incineration,” authored by Jason Kovacs, Richard Higgins, and Nathalie Ionesco of Onvector LLC, along with Young Cho of Drexel University. Below is a concise summary of their findings:
Getting rid of PFAS through incineration causes its own problems
Many environmental organizations, including the US Environmental Protection Agency, are pushing for the destruction of PFAS-containing materials. But there lies the problem – most methods for PFAS destruction involve incineration, which can have unintended consequences. These include:
- PFAS come in many different formulations, some of which involve long-chain molecules – but incineration at standard temperatures often just breaks down the PFAS into other molecules that when released, are still a hazard to the environment and to the human population.
- PFAS-containing waste streams such as groundwater may contain significant amounts of water, which absorbs much of the heat from the incineration process, making it costly and inefficient.
- Incinerators used for PFAS disposal, many of them fired by natural gas, are a significant source of carbon dioxide themselves, contributing to climate change.
- Fluorinated alkane carbon waste products, produced from incineration, can have a global warming impact thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide – largely because of these products’ long atmospheric lifetimes and ability to trap heat in the atmosphere.
Avoiding PFAS incineration problems through plasma destruction
Clearly, there is a need for a PFAS destruction technology that breaks down PFAS into harmless molecules and atoms, and is low in environmental impact.
Onvector’s plasma vortex technology destroys PFAS molecules by harnessing the fourth state of matter, plasma. Unlike thermal systems, plasma can operate at low pressure and low temperature.
Here’s how it works. Within the plasma vortex reactor, a voltage gradient is applied between two electrodes. This creates an electric field that strips electrons from the inflowing gas molecules, creating charged ions and releasing a plasma discharge. The ions, which are charged particles, and the high-energy electrons are highly chemically reactive, and can break down PFAS molecules.
This technology—already demonstrated through pilot projects with the U.S. military—provides a proven path to eliminate PFAS without creating new environmental or human-health risks.
Reach out to via info@onvector.us to learn more.