Yale Chemists Engineer Larger PFAS Molecules for Easier Removal and Destruction

Researchers at Yale’s Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, under the guidance of John Fortner, announced that Ph.D. student Susanna Maisto can chemically alter perfluorocarboxylic acids—the PFAS subclass—by reacting them with octanol. This esterification roughly doubles the molecules’ size, rendering them insoluble and allowing them to separate from water as a distinct phase that can be skimmed or settled.

The team adapted a 2004 University of Tokyo technique to create tiny emulsified droplets that act as micro-reactors, enabling the chemistry to proceed in water-based waste streams, including those laden with organic matter or salt, albeit with a slight efficiency drop in salty water. Tests across a broad range of PFAS chemistries showed the approach remains effective in complex matrices. Designed for concentrated industrial discharge, the process takes about a day and could be integrated at the point of release, preventing PFAS from entering municipal supplies. Maisto will continue PFAS destruction research as a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University, where she plans to explore plasma reactors for breaking the stubborn carbon-fluorine bond.