Preliminary data from a fast-tracked EPA research project examining four innovative destruction technologies as well as incineration for treating persistent chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) all showed promise in destroying the initial compounds, but it is unclear what potential byproducts the methods created. The early findings from EPA's PFAS Innovative Treatment Team (PITT) point to potential promise for some destruction technologies in addressing a perplexing problem for regulators as they weigh treatment avenues for what is expected to be a growing amount of PFAS waste. "In general, what we found is that each of these technologies showed promise for 99 percent loss of the initial PFAS compounds," said Brian Gullett, a senior research engineer in EPA's Office of Research & Development (ORD) who is overseeing the PITT work, during a Feb. 17 EPA-sponsored webinar. "But what still remains for us to determine is to sort of close that fluorine-mass balance to understand what potential byproducts were formed."
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