Project description
Innovative catalyst systems for degrading PFAS
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent water pollutants that resist degradation and pose health risks. Conventional treatments capture but do not destroy PFAS. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the EnvChemLi project aims to develop and evaluate catalyst systems for degrading PFAS. It will synthesise and characterise various catalysts, including palladium (Pd), rhodium (Rh), bimetallic Rh-Pd, and boron nitride (BN), supported on alumina or other materials. The project will investigate how PFAS interact with these catalysts and optimise catalytic processes to achieve faster, complete defluorination. Ultimately, the most effective catalysts will be validated using complex wastewater to assess their real-world performance and regeneration potential, thereby contributing to sustainable water-quality solutions.
Objective
Fluorinated pollutants, especially per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are among the most persistent contaminants in water systems. Their extreme chemical stability—earning them the name “forever chemicals”—allows them to resist natural degradation, accumulate in ecosystems, and pose long-term health risks. Conventional treatment methods capture PFAS but rarely destroy them, leaving the core problem unresolved. Addressing this challenge requires strategies that both remove and break down PFAS into harmless products.
This project will develop and evaluate catalyst systems for PFAS degradation. Catalysts can disrupt the strong carbon–fluorine bonds that make PFAS resistant to treatment. Four objectives guide the research. First, a series of catalysts—palladium (Pd), rhodium (Rh), bimetallic Rh–Pd, and boron nitride (BN)—will be synthesized on supports such as alumina, silica, and activated carbon and fully characterized. Second, mechanistic studies will examine how PFAS interact with these catalysts, focusing on sorption kinetics, byproduct formation, and catalyst stability under hydrogen conditions, using both model compounds and PFAS with varied functional groups. Third, catalytic processes will be optimized for faster and more complete defluorination, and tested in combination with ultraviolet light or peroxide treatments to identify synergistic effects. Finally, the most effective catalysts will be validated with complex wastewater to assess real-world performance and regeneration potential.
The project will deliver optimized catalysts, insights into PFAS degradation mechanisms, and guidance for sustainable treatment processes. By integrating catalyst design, mechanistic understanding, process optimization, and field validation, it will advance innovative solutions to PFAS contamination and contribute to safeguarding water quality.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
8092 Zuerich
Switzerland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.