Short-chain perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds (PFAS) such as perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) are increasingly entering the environment via various pathways and contaminating groundwater and drinking water. Because PFAS are highly mobile, removing them has so far required a great deal of effort. But a research team at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) has developed a new technology to do so. According to an article recently published in Chemical Engineering Journal, the new process is more environmentally friendly and less energy-intensive.