Negasi Weldengus

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent and toxic water pollutants that pose significant environmental and health risks. Various methods exist for PFAS treatment, most of which rely on adsorption. However, these methods often produce byproducts that require additional treatment before disposal. Here we show a facile method for degrading a model pollutant perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) using a low energy IR CO2 laser on a regenerated laser-induced graphene (LIG) substrate, with NaOH serving as a mineralizing reagent. Laser treatment achieved up to 68% mineralization of fluorine from PFOA into inorganic fluoride (NaF), depending on the laser power, with optimum performance at 8% power. The fluorine mineralization increased with the Na-to-F molar ratio, up to a ratio of 4.5. Additionally, the substrate was reusable for up to five treatment cycles under the optimal laser power (8%). This approach minimizes harmful byproducts and enables substrate reuse, offering a sustainable alternative for PFAS treatment to advance water purification technologies.