Per-and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) eternal pollutants: Sources, environmental impacts and treatment processes

Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have become a growing environmental concern due to their tangible impacts on human health. However, due to the large number of PFAS compounds and the analytical difficulty to identify all of them, there are still some knowledge gaps not only on their impact on human health, but also on how to manage them and achieve their effective degradation. PFAS compounds originate from man-made chemicals that are resistant to degradation because of the presence of the strong carbon-fluorine bonds in their chemical structure. This review consists of two parts. In the first part, the environmental effects of fluorinated compound contamination in water are covered with the objective to highlight how their presence in the environment adversely impacts the human health. In the second part, the focus is put on the different techniques available for the degradation and/or separation of PFAS compounds in different types of waters. Examples of removal/treatment of PFAS present in either surface or ground water are presented.