Ushio has developed technology that can decompose and detoxify PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) using light without employing catalysts or additives
Ushio Inc. (Head Office: Tokyo, President and CEO: Takabumi Asahi, hereinafter “Ushio”) is pleased to announce that it has developed technology that can decompose and detoxify PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid) and PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), which are representative of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) that have drawn attention as new environmentally regulated substances worldwide, in one reactor using light without employing catalysts or additives.
Emission regulations have been gradually established, particularly in Europe and the United States, since the emergence of reports of actual cases of PFAS harming human health. Due to the persistent nature of PFAS, the development of methods to remove and detoxify them has become an urgent issue. Absorption into activated carbon followed by high-temperature incineration is currently being considered as a decomposition method for PFAS. However, concerns have been raised about the fuel for the transportation and incineration of activated carbon with PFAS absorbed and the associated energy consumption, as well as the CO2 and fluorinated greenhouse gases with high global warming potential* derived from activated carbon incineration that will be released into the atmosphere.
To address these issues, Ushio has developed technology that can decompose and detoxify PFAS by utilizing vacuum UV technology it has cultivated since its foundation. Specifically, Ushio decomposed PFOA and PFOS by employing three powerful forces: light using an excimer lamp that produces UV light with a wavelength of 172nm, OH radicals, and hydrated electrons. As a result, it was able to verify that even large amounts of PFOA and PFOS measurable in mg/L can be decomposed by 99% within a certain period of time.
Image of decomposition of PFAS using an excimer lamp that produces UV light with a wavelength of 172nm
[Features]
・Processing is possible at ordinary temperatures and pressures
・No fuel burning, catalysts, and chemical additives are required as decomposition using only light and electrical energy is possible
・Unexpected fluorine compounds are unlikely to be produced during the decomposition reaction process
・Capable of decomposing short-chain PFAS molecules
・Final substances (HF, H+, and F-) remaining after decomposition can be fixed and stabilized as calcium fluoride by final processing with calcium hydroxide (reusable for other applications)
・High efficiency can be achieved by combining with PFAS condensation technology
Ushio will continue research and development to put this technology into practical use with the aim to start a verification test in fiscal year 2025 and start a business in 2027.
With regards to measures to address global warming as well, Ushio will contribute to realizing a world where a global carbon net zero and wellbeing of people are in harmony with each other through social implementation using “light” technology.
A panel showing this technology will be exhibited at “InterAqua 2025,” which will be held at Tokyo Big Sight from January 29th to 31st, 2025.
* The global warming potential is a number that represents the potential of the greenhouse gases to warm the Earth compared with the baseline of CO2 emissions.