Florida researcher develops plasma technology designed to destroy toxic PFAS

A Florida State University doctoral candidate is trying to tackle one of the most persistent classes of environmental contaminants with a technology designed not just to capture PFAS, but potentially destroy them. Kimberley Christopher, a doctoral candidate in Florida State University’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has developed a patent-pending plasma process that uses electrons to trigger the breakdown of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS or “forever chemicals.” After winning a collegiate startup pitch competition, Christopher is now testing the technology’s commercial potential through the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps program.The NSF-backed project, led by FSU chemical engineering professor Bruce R. Locke, is examining whether the technology can become a cost-competitive, energy-efficient way of destroying PFAS in water.