Top Topics – PFAS
The discussion surrounding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is highly dynamic. On the one hand, there are diverse applications; on the other, significant environmental problems and legacy contamination. Since the European Chemicals Agency Echa’s regulatory proposal in 2023, the debate has intensified further. An editorial by Markus Große Ophoff and Sebastian Hasenstab-Riedel in Nachrichten aus der Chemie. (Free access in the GDCh app at https://gdch.app/article/rethinking-pfas-wissenschaft-ist-die-basis-4159452).
Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) can be detected in water bodies, animals, plants and humans – and concentrations have been rising steadily for decades. How does TFA enter the environment, how harmful is it, and where is action needed to prevent further inputs? Article by Annette Bitsch, Hubertus Brunn, Stefan Hahn, Markus Große Ophoff, Michael Müller, Martin Scheringer, Klaus Günter Steinhäuser, Thomas Ternes in Nachrichten aus der Chemie. (Free access in the GDCh app at https://gdch.app/article/mobil-persistent-gefaehrlich-4156722).
Chemical compounds can be produced quickly, sustainably and resource-efficiently using mechanical energy. Nanoporous organic framework structures from a ball mill are suitable as filters for removing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances from water. Article by Maroof Arshadul Hoque, Jan Lisec, Franziska Emmerling in Nachrichten aus der Chemie. (Free access in the GDCh app at https://gdch.app/article/mit-gruener-synthese-zu-sauberem-wasser-4154760).
On 7 and 8 April, the GDCh Think Tank PFAS, together with Collaborative Research Centre 1349 “Fluor-Specific Interactions” at Freie Universität Berlin, held the conference “PFAS – Avoidable, Replaceable, Indispensable?!”. Article by Ruth Bieringer, Sebastian Riedel, Markus Große Ophoff in Nachrichten aus der Chemie. (Access for members in the GDCh app at https://gdch.app/article/pfastagung-in-berlin-4152250).
A study by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) shows that, at the temperatures and residence times typically used by European waste incineration plants, fluoropolymer waste causes hardly any emissions of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Article by Hans‐Joachim Gehrmann, Anna Maria Holfelder in Nachrichten aus der Chemie. (Access for members in the GDCh app at https://gdch.app/article/fast-vollstaendig-verbrannt-4147330)
Business, politics and science are discussing whether it is justified to ban per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as an entire substance group in the EU. The example of oximes shows the consequences of assessing and restricting the use of individual substances instead of an entire substance group. Article by Clemens Magerkurth and Reinhold Rühl in Nachrichten aus der Chemie. (Access for members in the GDCh app at https://gdch.app/article/einzelstoffe-oder-gruppen-regulieren-4145565 )
Per- and polyfluorinated hydrocarbons scarcely withstand temperatures above 1000 °C. Electrooxidation and plasma processes also partially destroy the substances. Researchers are additionally attempting to eliminate them using boron nitride or supercritical water. Further possible approaches involve the non-fluorinated oxygen- or sulphur-containing residues of these substances. Article by Christian Ehrensberger in Nachrichten aus der Chemie. (Free access in the GDCh app at https://gdch.app/article/die-suche-nach-der-achillesferse-4140286
The proposed EU ban on all per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances also affects the outdoor industry, as these substances are used in breathable membranes and water-repellent textile coatings. Bettina Roth, Head of Quality Management at outdoor equipment manufacturer Vaude in Tettnang, Baden-Württemberg, explains how this works without these substances. Interview by Uta Neubauer in Nachrichten aus der Chemie. (Access for members in the GDCh app at https://gdch.app/article/interview-endverbraucher-haben-kritisch-nachgefragt-4138471)
The European Chemicals Agency Echa is preparing the regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS for short. Juliane Glüge of ETH Zurich believes that the environmental persistence of the substances alone justifies a comprehensive ban. She represents the European Chemical Society at Echa meetings dealing with the PFAS ban. Interview by Uta Neubauer in Nachrichten aus der Chemie. (Access for members in the GDCh app at https://gdch.app/article/regulierung-per-und-polyfluorierter-substanzen-4138463)
The GDCh Think Tank PFAS, which prepared the statement, consists of representatives of GDCh structures from industry and academia: the GDCh Working Group Fluorochemistry (AG F), the GDCh Divisions macromolecular chemistry (MC) and Analytical Chemistry (AC), and Young economic chemists (JuWiChem) of the Association for Chemistry and Economics.
This publication was controversially discussed within the GDCh. Among other things, the Board of the GDCh Division Environmental Chemistry & Ecotoxicology (U&Ö) published an addition to the GDCh statement. To the statement, the addition and further discussions within the GDCh
There is currently a great deal of discussion about PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). This is because a possible ban on PFAS in the European Union is being debated. In the September issue of Nachrichten aus der Chemie, two experts discuss a ban on PFAS. To the article.
Per- and polyfluorinated hydrocarbons are persistent environmental toxins. Routine methods for chemical analysis and biomonitoring are currently being developed with increasing focus. Article by Christian Ehrensberger in Nachrichten aus der Chemie. (Access for members in the GDCh app at https://gdch.app/article/wildschweinleber-als-bioindikator-4134838 )
It could be a proposal with far-reaching consequences for the chemical industry and for us as consumers. A possible ban on PFAS – special per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – in the European Union is being debated. An article in accessible language by Dr. Jörg Wetterau in Faszination Chemie (to the article)