April 8, 2025 – On April 1, 2025, Lummus Technology announced an exciting development: its demonstration unit for per – and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals”, has been successfully put into operation and is operating stably. This commercial – scale treatment system ingeniously combines the cutting – edge technologies of Lummus and Element Six (E6), acting as a powerful “foe” to PFAS compounds, capable of completely decomposing them.
The PFAS treatment demonstration unit is located at Lummus Green Circle Labs in La Porte, Texas. What makes it unique is that, unlike some conventional methods that merely chemically modify PFAS to pass inspections, it directly attacks the core. During the treatment process, it breaks the carbon – fluorine bonds in PFAS pollutants, thus achieving the complete decomposition of PFAS compounds. Currently, the unit has opened its doors to customers, enabling the evaluation of water samples and the generation of authoritative certified data. These data are of great significance for customers to communicate with regulatory agencies and improve the quality of water supply. Moreover, this advanced technology is now available for industrial and municipal water utilities that wish to conduct in – situ treatment of PFAS substances. The one – stop PFAS solution provided by Lummus’ water treatment team also includes in – house analytical services with extremely high detection sensitivity, capable of accurately detecting PFAS at concentrations as low as parts per trillion. Such analytical services are like “trusted assistants” for water operators, helping them accurately assess the degree of PFAS contamination and simultaneously monitor the performance of the treatment system in real – time.
According to AsiaMB, PFAS (per – and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a series of non – natural, synthetic organic compounds mainly composed of carbon and fluorine atoms. It not only has hydrophilic functional groups and hydrophobic alkyl side chains but also features fire resistance, high stability, and persistence. As a result, PFAS is widely used in numerous industries, including textiles, surfactants, food packaging, non – stick coatings, and fire – fighting foams. Products such as cosmetics, cleaning sprays, waterproof sports gear, fire extinguishers, non – stick pans, and fire – and water – resistant clothing or materials may contain PFAS. However, these excellent properties of PFAS also bring serious drawbacks. Due to its high thermal and chemical stability, PFAS can persist in the environment for a long time and is hardly biodegradable. What’s more, once it enters human blood, PFAS accumulates for a long time, which is why it is called “forever chemicals”. Currently, the most extensively studied PFAS compounds include perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), and hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (GenX), among others.