The agency’s review examined the effectiveness, feasibility and environmental suitability of both established and emerging methods for dealing with PFAS, a group of persistent synthetic chemicals often referred to as “forever chemicals”.
The EA’s analysis highlights that, while HTI can achieve PFAS destruction, it must be operated under strict conditions to avoid the risk of releasing products of incomplete combustion (PICs).
The report stresses that further research is needed to optimise performance and to improve oversight of facilities handling PFAS wastes.
It also emphasises that reducing PFAS use at source remains critical, minimising the reliance on downstream treatment and remediation.
Other treatments ‘do not ensure complete destruction’
PFAS wastes in England are currently managed through landfilling, wastewater treatment and incineration.
However, according to the report, landfilling and wastewater treatment do not break PFAS down, meaning the chemicals can persist and potentially re-enter the environment.
HTI is therefore identified as the only available option for large-scale destruction.
The EA notes that alternative technologies, including novel destructive methods, are not yet commercialised at scale. Some may hold promise when integrated with sequestration in a “treatment train” approach, but further development will be required before they can be widely deployed.
What are PFAS?
PFAS are a large and chemically diverse group of man-made fluorinated compounds used widely in industrial processes and consumer products.
They are valued for their resistance to heat, water and chemicals, properties which have led to their use in firefighting foams, textiles, cookware and coatings.
These same characteristics, however, mean PFAS are extremely persistent in the environment. Some types are highly mobile, spreading far from their original source, while others accumulate in the bodies of people and wildlife. Both pathways raise concerns about long-term risks to ecosystems and human health.
Because of their widespread use and persistence, PFAS are now recognised as contaminants of concern across the world, with the Forever Lobbying Project finding that PFAS pollution clean-up could cost Europe’s economy €2 trillion over a 20-year period.
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