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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have received increased attention due to their environmental prevalence and threat to public health. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is an ultrashort-chain PFAS and the simplest perfluorocarboxylic acid (PFCA). While the US EPA does not currently regulate TFA, its chemical similarity to other PFCAs and its simple molecular structure make it a suitable model compound for studying the transformation of PFAS. We show that hydrothermal processing in compressed liquid water transforms TFA at relatively mild conditions (T = 150-250 °C, P < 30 MPa), initially yielding gaseous products, such as CHF 3 and CO 2 , that naturally aspirate from the solution. Alkali amendment ( e.g ., NaOH) promotes the mineralization of CHF 3 , yielding dissolved fluoride, formate, and carbonate species as final products. Fluorine and carbon balances are closed using Raman spectroscopy and fluoride ion selective electrode measurements for experiments performed at alkaline conditions, where gas yields are negligible. Qualitative FTIR gas analysis allows for establishing the transformation pathways; however, the F-balance could not be quantitatively closed for experiments without NaOH amendment. The kinetics of TFA transformation under hydrothermal conditions are measured, showing little to no dependency on NaOH concentration, indicating that the thermal decarboxylation is a rate-limiting step. A proposed TFA transformation mechanism motivates additional work to generalize the hydrothermal reaction pathways to other PFCAs.

Cleanup and disposal of stockpiles and waste streams containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) require effective end-of-life destruction/mineralization technologies. Two classes of PFAS, perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) and perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids (PFSAs), are commonly found in legacy stockpiles, industrial waste streams, and as environmental pollutants. Continuous flow supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) reactors have been shown to destroy several PFAS and aqueous film-forming foams. However, a direct comparison of the SCWO efficacy for PFSAs and PFCAs has not been reported. We show the effectiveness of continuous flow SCWO treatment for a matrix of model PFCAs and PFSAs as a function of operating temperature. PFSAs appear to be significantly more recalcitrant than PFCAs in the SCWO environment. The SCWO treatment results in a destruction and removal efficiency of 99.999% at a T > 610 °C and at a residence time of ∼30 s. Fluoride recovery lags destruction PFAS at 510 °C and reaches >100% above 610 °C, confirming the formation of liquid and gaseous phase intermediate product during lower temperature oxidation. This paper establishes the threshold for destroying PFAS-containing liquids under SCWO conditions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:BRP is a primary shareholder in Aquagga, Inc. which is commercializing hydrothermal PFAS destruction technologies., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

As regulations are being established to limit the levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water and wastewater, effective treatment technologies are needed to remove or destroy PFAS in contaminated liquid matrices. Many military installations and airports have fire training ponds (FTPs) where PFAS-containing firefighting foams are discharged during training drills. FTP water disposal is expensive and challenging due to the high PFAS levels. Hydrothermal alkaline treatment (HALT) has previously been shown to destroy a wide range of PFAS compounds with a high degree of destruction and defluorination. In this study, we investigate the performance of a continuous flow HALT reactor for destroying PFAS in contaminated FTP water samples. Processing with 5 M-NaOH and 1.6 min of continuous processing results in >99% total PFAS destruction, and 10 min processing time yields >99% destruction of every measured PFAS species. Operating with 0.1 M-NaOH or 1 M-NaOH shows little effect on the destruction of measured perfluorosulfonic acids, while all measured perfluorocarboxylic acids and fluorotelomer sulfonates are reduced to levels below the method detection limits. Continuous HALT processing with sufficient NaOH loading appears to destroy parent PFAS compounds significantly faster than batch HALT processing, a positive indicator for scaling up HALT technology for practical applications in environmental site remediation activities., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A novel single-stage solvolysis process is demonstrated for recycling carbon fibers from an epoxy-based composite material using 50 wt% acetic acid solution under subcritical conditions. The process yields 100% fiber recovery efficiency in less than 30 min at 300 °C. Qualitative SEM/EDS analysis of the fibers reveals that the recovered fibers are entirely free of resin, and the carbon fiber surfaces were not damaged. SEM images and gravimetric measurements of the composites treated at lower temperatures and short residence times show an initial increase in mass of the CFRP samples, suggesting a two-step process consisting of initial composite swelling due to uptake of solvent, followed by depolymerization and chemical decomposition of the polymer. FTIR and GC-MS analyses confirm resin decomposition and production of aromatic and aliphatic compounds., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

PER: and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a concerning and unique class of environmentally persistent contaminants with biotoxic effects. Decades of PFAS discharge into water and soil resulted in PFAS bioaccumulation in plants, animals, and humans. PFAS are very stable, and their treatment has become a global environmental challenge. Significant efforts have been made to achieve efficient and complete PFAS mineralization using existing and emerging technologies. Hydrothermal treatments in subcritical and supercritical water have emerged as promising end-of-life PFAS destruction technologies, attracting the attention of scholars, industry, and key stakeholders. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art research on the behavior of PFAS, PFAS precursors, PFAS alternatives, and PFAS-containing waste in hydrothermal processes, including the destruction and defluorination efficiency, the proposed reaction mechanisms, and the environmental impact of these treatments. Scientific literature shows that >99% degradation and >60% defluorination of PFAS can be achieved through subcritical and supercritical water processing. The limitations of current research are evaluated, special considerations are given to the challenges of technology maturation and scale-up from laboratory studies to large-scale industrial application, and potential future technological developments are proposed., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: BRP is a significant shareholder in Aquagga, Inc., a startup company commercializing hydrothermal PFAS destruction technology., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)