PFAS compounds screened
Contaminant Control
PFAS Control Lab
A source-control, capture, destruction, and residual-routing workbench for keeping PFAS out of sewage-derived fuel claims.
Control technologies ranked
Critical monitoring compounds
Current contaminant stance
PFAS control starts before the conversion reactor
The screening model ranks industrial source control first because destruction technology should not compensate for uncontrolled PFAS loading. HALT, SCWO, electrochemical destruction, and adsorbent polishing are important branches, but every route needs a fluorine mass balance and permitted residual path.
Base policy gate. Fuel production should not compensate for uncontrolled industrial PFAS loading.
Industrial source control
EPA recommends identifying industrial sources and pretreatment where appropriate before PFAS enters sludge.
Influent/industrial discharge monitoring, enforceable pretreatment actions, and reduced PFAS in sludge over time.Every scenario still requires Method 1633-style PFAS monitoring and a full fluorine/product/residual ledger.
Screening panel
PFAS compounds that must stay visible in the model
Long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acid
C8HF15O2PFOA
EPA's sewage-sludge risk assessment focuses on PFOA and PFOS, and HTL studies show PFOA behaves differently from sulfonates.
- F atoms
- 15
- F/C
- 1.88
- Mobility
- 1.54
Long-chain perfluorosulfonic acid
C8HF17O3SPFOS
PFOS is often harder to destroy than PFOA and remains a central sewage-sludge risk-assessment compound.
- F atoms
- 17
- F/C
- 2.12
- Mobility
- 1.74
Short-chain perfluorocarboxylic acid
C4HF7O2PFBA
PFBA is a short-chain mobile PFAS and a model compound in 2026 adsorption and electrochemical destruction studies.
- F atoms
- 7
- F/C
- 1.75
- Mobility
- 2.19
Short-chain perfluorosulfonic acid
C4HF9O3SPFBS
Short-chain sulfonates are mobile and can require more severe alkaline hydrothermal conditions than carboxylates.
- F atoms
- 9
- F/C
- 2.25
- Mobility
- 2.81
Fluorotelomer sulfonate precursor
C8H5F13O3S6:2 FTS
Fluorotelomer sulfonates can transform into persistent perfluoroalkyl acids and should stay in the screening panel.
- F atoms
- 13
- F/C
- 1.62
- Mobility
- 1.33
Ether PFAS replacement
C6HF11O3HFPO-DA / GenX
Emerging replacement PFAS can appear in industrial discharge contexts and should not be hidden by PFOA/PFOS-only screening.
- F atoms
- 11
- F/C
- 1.83
- Mobility
- 1.5
Technology screen
Ranked controls from the Docker screening model
Prevention · Deploy first
65.3Industrial source control
EPA recommends identifying industrial sources and pretreatment where appropriate before PFAS enters sludge.
Must proveInfluent/industrial discharge monitoring, enforceable pretreatment actions, and reduced PFAS in sludge over time.
Destruction · Bench/pilot
59Hydrothermal alkaline treatment
HALT is being developed specifically for PFAS-contaminated sludge and concentrated wet waste streams.
Must proveAlkali demand, salt handling, sulfonate destruction, hydrochar fate, reactor corrosion, and full fluorine mass balance.
Destruction · Demonstration
55.9Supercritical water oxidation
SCWO is being demonstrated for PFAS destruction and can handle wet organic wastes, but the operating severity is high.
Must proveSludge pumping, salt precipitation, corrosion, energy integration, air emissions, residual fluoride, and continuous uptime.
Capture + destruction · Emerging
50Electrochemical concentration + destruction
2026 short-chain PFAS work shows two-step electrochemical concentration and boron-doped-diamond oxidation can target PFBA in water.
Must proveMatrix tolerance, electrode life, chloride/byproduct control, PFAS mixture performance, and energy per log removal.
Partitioning + partial transformation · Bench next
49.7HTL with Ca(OH)2 or alum sludge
Recent catalytic/co-hydrothermal work shows lime and alum sludge can change PFAS and metals fate during sewage-sludge HT treatment.
Must provePFOA, PFOS, short-chain PFAS, oil partitioning, hydrochar leachability, metals, and additive ash burden.
Capture · Computational lead
27.9MOF/COF adsorption for short-chain PFAS
2026 computational screening identifies nanoporous adsorbents as a high-upside PFBA capture branch for aqueous polishing.
Must proveReal wastewater selectivity, regeneration, spent adsorbent destruction, fouling, and cost at PFAS trace concentrations.
Sources
Evidence behind the control lab
EPA draft sewage sludge risk assessment for PFOA and PFOSSets the policy frame: PFAS in sewage sludge must be monitored and controlled before land application or fuel claims.Water Research Foundation HALT projectTargets PFAS-contaminated sludge with hydrothermal alkaline treatment and hydrochar production.Catalytic/co-hydrothermal PFAS and metals fateBench evidence that Ca(OH)2 and alum sludge can change PFAS and metal partitioning in sewage-sludge hydrothermal treatment.PFAS during municipal sludge HTLShows PFAS class behavior differs during HTL; carboxylates and sulfonates cannot be treated as one risk.Short-chain PFAS electrochemical destruction2026 two-step concentration and electrochemical destruction route for PFBA in water.High-throughput MOF screening for PFBAComputational screening lead for short-chain PFAS capture from water.