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PFAS, Issues Beyond Raw Materials to Process and Emissions
Professor Ki Dong Kim from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), widely used across various fields due to industrial conveniences, have recently emerged as a significant topic of discussion due to potential long-term human and environmental risks. Particularly in the cosmetics industry, it is a crucial time to transition from simply eliminating raw materials to seeking a paradigm shift in environmental management across the entire manufacturing process.
Professor Ki Dong Kim’s research team from the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) recently introduced an integrated technology that selectively concentrates low concentrations of PFAS for electrochemical decomposition, providing a new solution to this issue. Through this written interview, we aim to delve into the essence of the PFAS issue and explore sustainable response directions for the cosmetics industry in depth.
Core of the PFAS Issue and Cosmetic Industry Response
Actualized PFAS Management and Extensive Industrial Use
From an environmental engineering research perspective, the PFAS issue has already entered a realistic management stage. In the past, it focused on high-concentration occurrences in large industrial sites or fire-fighting foam application areas, but recently, management scope has expanded to trace concentrations detected in drinking water and surroundings. As the risks of long-term exposure at very low concentrations are increasingly revealed, regulatory standards worldwide are rapidly being tightened. Research sites are even experiencing difficulties obtaining experimental PFAS reagents due to strengthened regulations and surging demand.
The primary reason PFAS has been widely utilized across industries is due to the highly stable bond structure of carbon and fluorine. PFAS, which does not decompose from heat or chemicals and blocks both water and oil, has provided irreplaceable value in semiconductors, textiles, cosmetics, and more where surface control is crucial. However, these industrial benefits turn into critical drawbacks upon environmental exposure. PFAS are almost non-decomposable in the natural environment, persisting over time, returning through water and soil to humans and ecosystems. They are called ‘forever chemicals’ because of their unique properties of accumulation without decomposing.
Management and Processing Technology Beyond Just Raw Materials
Professor Kim emphasizes that as PFAS regulations for cosmetics are reinforced, especially in Europe, it’s necessary for companies to thoroughly understand where and in what form PFAS enters and exits the entire manufacturing process, not just remain at raw material management. Special attention is required for paths like wastewater or cleaning water used in the manufacturing process, which could easily be overlooked due to not directly relating to products. These paths, when accumulated, can lead to significant emissions, requiring lifecycle-based emission, processing, and residual management beyond single product units.
The recently announced PFAS selective capture and processing technology by Professor Kim’s team is anchored in efficiently gathering and processing trace amounts of PFAS dispersed in water. This technology, not limited to specific industries, could be theoretically applied to cosmetics manufacturing wastewater. However, it requires optimization research tailored to the water quality conditions and process specifics of each business site for actual field introduction, aiming to develop into an implementable technology at industrial sites.
Even in the complex environments of cosmetic wastewater mixed with various surfactants and organic material, the technical efficacy is sufficient, the research team explains. Since PFAS rarely exist alone in actual manufacturing wastewater, attempting immediate decomposition in complex water quality environments can lead to lower selectivity and increased energy consumption. This is why the team focused on selectively gathering PFAS first, even when mixed with surfactants or organics. By utilizing PFAS’s unique physicochemical properties to adjust the adsorption surface, it is possible to selectively gather them, distinguishing from other substances. In complex environments, concentrating before decomposing reduces energy burdens significantly, making it more economical and practical. It can flexibly operate with existing water treatment technologies as a meaningful pretreatment step.
Future Regulations: Transition to Lifecycle Management
The PFAS issue is highly unlikely to remain only at raw material regulation. Given PFAS already used or residues occurring during processes, it will inevitably shift to comprehensive management levels such as emission management, monitoring, and environmental impact assessments. This is challenging to resolve solely through individual corporate efforts, requiring a blend of environmental engineering technological support. Emission management and processing technologies will become increasingly crucial topics.
Need for Innovative Tech and Sustainable Collaboration
Advantages of Proprietary Adsorption-Decomposition System
The primary advantage of the developed ‘adsorption-decomposition integrated system’ compared to traditional methods is as follows:
“Conventionally, PFAS were adsorbed and then the filters were incinerated or landfilled. This merely transfers the pollutants to another medium, with significant environmental burdens during transfer. Our research team’s system completes adsorption and decomposition within a single electrochemical system. It processes adsorption, desorption, and decomposition through electric control alone without chemical reagents, cutting both capital investment (CAPEX) and operational expenditure (OPEX). Particularly, it solves low-concentration pollution while minimizing waste generation, which is the major advantage.”
Synergy Between Environmental Research and Industry
Professor Kim states that environmental engineering research should not limit industries but serve as a tool for sustainable industrial operation. Particularly for industries like cosmetics with broad consumer contact points, the eco-friendliness of manufacturing processes can relate as closely to brand value as product quality. If research and industry can establish a structure of close communication and cooperation from the product design’s early stages, it will not only lower regulatory response barriers but also significantly widen creative and technical options.
The PFAS issue has now become a realistic challenge for the cosmetics industry to deeply consider environmental management across production processes beyond raw materials. The low-concentration PFAS adsorption-decomposition integrated system developed by Professor Ki Dong Kim’s team at UNIST proposes a solution to pollution that minimizes environmental burden efficiently. This innovative environmental engineering technology and the tight collaboration with the cosmetics industry will play a key role in effectively responding to strengthened regulations and creating new values for a sustainable future.
We hope this content provides practical help in addressing the PFAS problem for a sustainable future in the cosmetics industry. will continue to offer excellent information and reliable guides needed by the industry, contributing to the creation of a healthy beauty ecosystem.
