Destroying forever chemicals with ultraviolet light

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are a group of chemicals prized for their durability and resistance to heat, oil and water. They have historically been used in firefighting foams, as well as in consumer goods such as non-stick cookware, stain-resistant carpets and food packaging. However, these same properties make them extraordinarily difficult to break down, earning them the name ‘forever chemicals’. PFAS have become a global environmental problem, contaminating soil, groundwater and even our food.

Josef Richmond and the team at the Space Plasma, Power and Propulsion Laboratory (SP3), led by Professor Christine Charles, are developing a new way to destroy PFAS in water. The process uses very high-energy UV light to react with water and break apart the strong chemical bonds that hold PFAS molecules together. Over time, PFAS degrades until it disappears, leaving cleaner water behind.

This approach grew out of Josef’s earlier research in space science. Originally designed for use on the Moon’s surface, preliminary work has found that the UV system is far more energy-efficient than conventional approaches at breaking down PFAS – up to 30 times more efficient in some cases. That efficiency means it can be used in large-scale water treatment applications, such as dams, where current technologies are too slow, too small, or too costly to be practical.

Supported by the New South Wales Smart Sensing Network and the Agrifood Innovation Institute (AFII), the current project is now building and testing a laboratory-scale prototype before moving towards industrial applications. The ultimate goal is to integrate the technology into water treatment plants to help stop the spread of PFAS into our communities and food systems.

AFII has played a key role in connecting the research team with industry partners and agricultural organisations. These partnerships are essential, as PFAS contamination is increasingly being detected in biosolids and agricultural soils. By targeting the problem at the water treatment stage, the project could prevent PFAS from cycling back into farmland and food production systems.

For Josef, working with AFII has not only accelerated the research but also created new pathways for collaboration between science, industry and agriculture, turning a space-based innovation into a terrestrial solution for one of the world’s most persistent pollution challenges.