Lithium Breaks Down PFAS Into Reusable Fluorine: A New Path for Forever Chemical Cleanup
Lithium Breaks Down PFAS Into Reusable Fluorine: A New Path for Forever Chemical Cleanup
PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are among the most persistent synthetic contaminants on the planet. Their carbon-fluorine bonds are extraordinarily strong, which is why they're called "forever chemicals." Conventional water treatment processes can filter them out, but destroying them has proven far more difficult. A team at the University of Chicago may have found a practical new approach.
Lithium-Driven Electrochemical Destruction
Researchers led by Chibueze Amanchukwu at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering have developed an electrochemical method that uses lithium to break apart PFAS molecules — and recovers usable fluoride in the process. The work was published in Nature Chemistry (2026, DOI: 10.1038/s41557-025-02057-7).
The process works as follows: lithium perchlorate is dissolved in an organic solvent, PFOA (a common PFAS compound) is added, and the solution is run through an electrochemical cell fitted with copper and graphite electrodes. An electric current deposits metallic lithium onto the copper surface, and that lithium then reacts with the PFOA, breaking its carbon-fluorine bonds.
Results: 95% Degradation, No Toxic Byproducts
The results are striking:
- 95% degradation of carbon-fluorine bonds in PFOA
- Complete breakdown to lithium fluoride — not shorter-chain PFAS, which is the persistent problem with other destruction methods
- 22 of 33 tested PFAS compounds showed over 70% degradation
- Perfluorodecanoic and perfluoroundecanoic acids achieved 99% degradation
The key advantage is that this is a reduction approach rather than oxidation. As Amanchukwu explained, fluorine is "the most electronegative element, so giving it electrons is easier." That fundamental chemistry makes the process more straightforward than trying to forcibly strip electrons away from fluorine.
Recovered Fluoride Gets a Second Life
Perhaps most compelling: the recovered lithium fluoride didn't just go to waste. The team successfully repurposed the fluoride for synthesizing non-PFAS battery materials and pharmaceutical compounds. That turns a destruction process into a potential feedstock recovery operation — an important economic incentive for scaling the technology.
Challenges Ahead
The method isn't without hurdles. Northwestern University chemist Christian Malapit has noted that "lithium handling could pose safety and scalability issues" — a fair concern given lithium's reactivity. The research team aims to develop aqueous-compatible systems that could work directly in water treatment settings, but lithium reacts violently with water, making that a significant engineering challenge.
This is lab-scale research. Translating electrochemical PFAS destruction from bench-top experiments to field-deployable systems will require years of engineering work, safety testing, and regulatory review. But the direction is promising.
Alliance's Take
PFAS contamination is one of the biggest challenges facing water treatment operators today. Detection requirements keep tightening, treatment mandates are expanding, and the chemicals themselves resist almost everything we throw at them. Any research that demonstrates a viable destruction pathway — not just filtration, but actual molecular breakdown — deserves attention.
This University of Chicago work is still firmly in the lab. It will be years before anything like this reaches field deployment. But the fact that it achieves near-complete degradation without producing shorter-chain PFAS byproducts is a meaningful step forward. The fluoride recovery angle adds real economic potential.
Alliance Chemical supplies chemicals to labs and facilities working on exactly these kinds of challenges. Our lab chemicals and solvents support research institutions, water treatment operations, and industrial processes across the country. As PFAS science evolves, reliable chemical sourcing remains the foundation that keeps research moving and treatment facilities running.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can lithium break down PFAS into reusable fluorine?
Recent research shows that metallic lithium can break the strong carbon-fluorine bonds in PFAS compounds, converting them into lithium fluoride (LiF) — a reusable fluorine source. This approach could transform PFAS from persistent environmental pollutants into valuable industrial feedstock.
Why are PFAS called 'forever chemicals'?
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are called forever chemicals because the carbon-fluorine bond is one of the strongest in organic chemistry. They resist degradation by heat, water, and biological processes, persisting in the environment and human body for decades.
What does this mean for chemical suppliers?
The development of lithium-based PFAS destruction methods could create new demand for high-purity lithium compounds and shift PFAS remediation from containment to actual destruction. Chemical suppliers may need to provide both destruction reagents and analytical standards for PFAS testing.
