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Enhancing PFAS removal: feasibility of an integrated electrocoagulation and adsorptive membrane approach
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This review examines the potential of combining electrocoagulation with adsorptive membrane filtration as a tandem system for removing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from water, noting that the two technologies complement each other by targeting different chain lengths of these persistent chemicals. The integrated approach shows promise for high removal efficiency while also potentially degrading PFAS rather than merely concentrating them.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination of water resources has become one of the greatest environmental and public health threats of our time due to its persistence in the environment and living organisms, bioaccumulation potential, and toxicity. Conventional treatment methods have limited success in removing long-chain and even more mobile short-chain PFAS at different environmental conditions. In this review, we discuss the potential of coupling electrocoagulation (EC) with adsorptive membrane technologies to create a tandem system for PFAS remediation. The molecular properties of PFAS impacting removal effectiveness are highlighted: EC has a selective binding towards negatively charged, short-chain PFAS due to destabilization and adsorption onto metal hydroxide flocs formed in-situ while membrane technology enables a proven size cut-off that can be optimized according to membrane cut-off characteristics allowing for fine filtration of longer chain PFAS. It also highlights the potential side degradation of PFAS when EC techniques are deployed, for instance, by stable and porous electrodes that might allow advanced electrochemical oxidation reactions to occur, thus degrading PFAS molecules rather than simply capturing them. The design of the integrated system realizes synergistic interaction between EC and membrane stages to achieve high removal efficiency and reduced secondary pollution. Moreover, a discussion on the treatment and management of waste streams generated by the integrated process is included, addressing such as, the treatment and disposal of PFAS-containing flocs and membrane concentrates, and strategies for waste management. This review summarizes recent developments and outlines specific gaps in understanding the targeting and degradation pathways of both pollutants and the waste, and then highlights the promise and challenges of the future of hybrid EC-membrane systems as a transformative and sustainable approach to PFAS-contaminated water treatment.
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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) resist conventional wastewater treatment and persist globally in aquatic environments, with monitoring and removal data highly variable across regions and methods. Photocatalytic membrane technologies show promise as a cost-credible, destructive treatment approach that improves catalyst reusability and degradation efficiency at scale.
Photocatalysis and Electro-Oxidation for PFAS Degradation: Mechanisms, Performance, and Energy Efficiency
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Heterogeneous photocatalysis and electrochemical oxidation—particularly using BDD anodes and Ti4O7 membranes—achieve near-complete PFAS degradation, with solar-driven systems offering environmental benefits despite higher energy requirements. PFAS and microplastics are co-contaminants that often travel together in water systems and share chemical resistance to conventional treatment, making these advanced oxidation findings directly applicable to combined remediation strategies.
Leading Techniques for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) Remediating in Water and Wastewater
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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called "forever chemicals," are highly persistent contaminants found in water and soil worldwide. This review evaluates the leading remediation techniques available for removing PFAS from contaminated environments, comparing their effectiveness, scalability, and cost. Given PFAS's resistance to natural degradation, engineered removal strategies are essential for protecting drinking water sources and ecosystems.
Electrocoagulation as a Possible Treatment for Wastewater Contaminated with Microplastics - A Review
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This review examined electrocoagulation and hybrid membrane technologies as innovative approaches for removing microplastics from wastewater, noting that MPs are omnipresent pollutants capable of biomagnification. The review covered the effectiveness of electrochemical processes, advanced oxidation, and membrane filtration systems including their combination for enhanced microplastic removal.
PFAS in Drinking Water: Risk Factor for Human Life, Modern Sources of Pollution, Methods of Control and Approaches to Water Purification (review)
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A comprehensive review of PFAS contamination in drinking water sources documents their widespread detection in rivers, groundwater, soils, and even military ammunition, highlighting carcinogenic, immunotoxic, endocrine-disrupting, and organ-damaging properties alongside the limitations of current detection and removal methods. This is directly relevant to microplastic research because PFAS chemicals are key components of many plastic formulations and readily adsorb to microplastic surfaces, making microplastics a vector for PFAS co-exposure via drinking water.
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