Hope renewed: Belgian Researcher may have discovered effective way to destroy certain PFAS

Once released into the environment, PFAS (“forever chemicals”) degrade very slowly and can cause long-term contamination of the air, soil, water, and living organisms. But a researcher may have found a solution...

Found in nonstick pans, food packaging, waterproof textiles, firefighting foams, and even certain cosmetics, PFAS comprise several thousand synthetic chemicals. Their properties—resistance to water, grease, heat, and stains—have made them popular in many industries. But this exceptional stability also has a downside: once released into the environment, they degrade very slowly and can cause long-term contamination of the air, soil, water, and living organisms.

This is why they are often referred to as “forever chemicals.” Their removal is complex, costly, and still largely limited to heavy-duty processes, such as high-temperature incineration.

However, a promising breakthrough may come from a Belgian chemist. Véronique Gouverneur, a professor at the University of Oxford, and her team have developed a mechanochemical method capable of breaking down several PFAS. The discovery is said to have come about by chance, after the researchers observed that grinding with Teflon components led to an unexpected recovery of fluorine.

By replicating the phenomenon, they succeeded in breaking the strong carbon-fluorine bonds that make these molecules so persistent. Initial results are promising, with up to 100% destruction of certain compounds, as well as the recovery of fluorine in a form that could potentially be reused. However, the method remains in the experimental stage and will still need to prove itself on a large scale, particularly in contaminated water and soil.

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This discovery was made by chance in the laboratory:

• Véronique Gouverneur’s team was working on a method to use fluorite without producing hydrogen fluoride, an extremely dangerous gas.
• A researcher noticed that he was recovering more fluorine than he had introduced.
• Explanation: the seals on some of the ball mills were made of Teflon, itself a PFAS; the process was therefore breaking them down.
• The team then tested about thirty PFAS and achieved destruction yields in the range of 50 to 100%, with fluorine recovered primarily in the form of potassium fluoride.

The technique is classified as mechanochemical: PFAS are ground with potassium phosphate, which breaks their very strong carbon-fluorine bonds. The benefit is twofold: destroying these“forever chemicals” and potentially recovering the fluorine for reuse.

However, the scope of this discovery must be qualified: for now, it is a method demonstrated in the laboratory, particularly effective on solid PFAS.

It is not yet an industrial solution that can be immediately applied to all water or soil pollution.

The research was published in "Nature" in 2025, following an initial paper on the chemistry of the process published in "Science" in 2023.