PFAS Breakthrough: Say Goodbye to the "Forever Chemical"

Image: Mahmoud Adel Hamza, PhD Candidate (ABC News, 2025)

Breaking Down "Forever Chemicals"

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of synthetic chemicals used in non-stick cookware, firefighting foams, and water-repellent fabrics. Known as “forever chemicals,” PFAS are extremely resistant to breakdown, accumulating in the environment and human bodies. They’ve been linked to serious health issues including developmental disorders, infertility, and cancer.

Environment Institute member Dr Cameron Shearer is leading a research team tackling this global challenge. Their work has developed a method that could breakdown PFAS, using a powder catalyst. When mixed with a concentrated solution of PFAS and exposed to light, it triggers a chemical reaction that breaks down the PFAS molecules.

PFAS chemicals are almost everywhere. Recent data shows over 85% of Australians have detectable PFAS in their blood, and new drinking water guidelines have lowered the safe limits for some PFAS chemicals to just nanograms per litre. They’re found in nonstick coatings like Teflon, waterproof products such as Gore-tex or Scoth Guard, even firefighting foams, and anti-fogging coatings to name a few.

"PFAS contamination continues to pose a global health risk, and this research represents a critical step toward safer communities and cleaner ecosystems," says lead researcher Dr.  Shearer.

Over time, this chemical has built up its presence in soils, sediments and waters, remaining a threat to humans and the environment - impacting hormones, increasing risk of cancer and cholesterol levels, and even infertility.  

A Light-Activated Solution

"Our team has altered conditions and optimized the catalyst to target the PFAS-protective F atoms, which resulted in complete breakdown of the forever chemicals. The produced fluoride can be isolated and used in health care products such as toothpaste or as additives to fertilizers."

Dr Shearer explains that: "We've managed to show the complete breakdown of PFAS. Prior to that, we'd only been achieving partial degradation, but it's only recently that we've been able to completely break down all the carbon-to-fluorine bonds into fluoride."

Through their research, the materials developed could be the first PFAS treatment to capture and concentrate PFAS in water, which is then degraded through exposure to light-activated materials, as Dr Shearer explained in an interview with ABC Radio Adelaide.

“We've been looking at creating powders, where these powders would absorb energy from light and then use that energy to drive chemical transformation,” he said. "We're wanting to transform the PFAS into their most basic form which is carbon dioxide and fluoride."

This process, as described by Dr Shearer, uses a catalytic powder activated by light to make PFAS reactive enough to convert into harmless compounds. This breakthrough is significant in decreasing the PFAS waste that lingers in the environment and reducing risk and exposure.

“The particular light activated material needs PFAS to be in a liquid form. It could potentially treat other PFAS contaminated things like soils by just washing the PFAS off the soil first, and then degrading the liquid that that's generated” explains Dr Shearer.

Addressing Australia’s PFAS Waste

In Australia, it’s not allowed to incinerate the PFAS Waste. So what happens to it? It’s being stored in warehouses and it’s becoming costly. There’s still risk of the PFAS spreading, particularly if there is a spill or fire, Dr Shearer emphasises that there is a need to work out what to do with the stored PFAS chemicals.

Dr Shearer and his team have been working in this space for five years, completing ‘incremental improvements’ as he describes it. His team consists of Associate Professor Tak Kee, and PhD Candidates Mahmoud Gharib, Mabel Day, Rachael Matthews, Alexander Keltie, Chantelle Falanga, and Zixin Hu.

The Photo-Cat research group is made up of 3 post-docs, 7 PhD students and 1 Honours student, led by Dr Cameron Shearer. The group  focuses on the synthesis of inorganic photocatalytic materials for use in environmental applications, including pollutant remediation and the production of green hydrogen.

Mabel Day, a PhD candidate from the University of Adelaide, and member of the Photo-Cat research group, has recently competed in the tenth Falling Walls Lab Australia, hosted by the Australian Academy of Science on 1 September 2025.

Mabel’s three-minute pitch, ‘breaking the wall of forever chemicals’, secured her first place as well as the People’s Choice Award. In November, Mabel will travel to Berlin to represent Australia at the Falling Walls Lab global finale, alongside 97 finalists from around the world.