Palladium membrane destroys over 90% of PFAS in water

A team led by Arizona State University and four international partners developed a palladium-coated membrane that chemically breaks down PFAS rather than filtering them out. Over 58 continuous days of lab testing, the system removed more than 90% of each of six regulated compounds, with total fluorine removal around 83%.

• Removal of six PFAS compounds ranged from 93% to 99% over 58 days
• Total fluorine removal reached about 83%
• Palladium on the outer surface splits hydrogen to drive hydrodefluorination
• High palladium cost and lab-only conditions block municipal deployment