Weekly Update: Project Clean Up Newsletter - Vol. 1, Issue 15

Date: September 19, 2025

PFAS: The Broader Challenge of an Entire Chemical Class

Welcome back to the Project Clean Up (PCU) weekly newsletter! Over the past few weeks, we've tackled specific "forever chemicals" like PFOS, GenX, and FTOHs. Each one presented a unique challenge, from liquid contamination to a precursor's hidden pathway. This week, we're zooming out to address the broader issue of PFAS—Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances—as an entire class of over 12,000 chemicals.

The challenge of PFAS is not a single compound but a vast family linked by the incredibly strong carbon-fluorine (C-F) bond. This shared trait makes them durable and useful but also gives them their persistent nature. Regulators are increasingly looking at PFAS as a class, with new laws and clean-up efforts targeting all compounds within this family. This shift requires a holistic scientific solution that moves beyond single-chemical remediation.

At Project Clean Up (PCU), our mission is perfectly aligned with this approach. Our research is not limited to a single compound; it targets the fundamental chemical bonds that make all PFAS persistent. The methods we are developing—including Lewis acid-mediated defluorination and innovative catalysis—are designed to be versatile, providing a universal tool to break down any compound within this vast chemical family.