PFAS Alternatives and Remediation Ramp Up

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) have been a major topic of concern in recent years due to their widespread use in coatings, and their potential environmental and health risks. Coatings manufacturers, and the companies that supply chemical products to them, are under increasing pressure to develop safer replacement technologies that provide equal or better performance.

2024 marked a pivotal year for PFAS phase-outs, driven by increasing regulatory pressures, environmental concerns and growing demand for safer alternatives. In December, Clariant announced that it has transitioned to a 100% PFAS-free additive portfolio. A few months earlier, both Micro Powders, Inc. and BYK Additives announced their exit from the PFAS market by the end of 2025. PPG expanded operations to produce PFAS-free nonstick bakeware coatings, and Archroma launched a PFAS-free barrier coating for oil and grease applications.

As PFAS-free chemicals make their way down the coatings value chain, OEMs are also now able to make similar commitments. Last month, MillerKnoll, a global office furniture manufacturer, announced that all North American products from its collective of brands will be free of any added per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances starting in May 2025, making it the first office furniture manufacturer to make this pledge.

Research also continues on how to best remediate these “forever chemicals” that have already polluted our water sources. A variety of methods have been introduced, however most of them do not completely eliminate PFAS, but rather transform these products into other chemical compounds. But some breakthroughs have emerged. We reported last November that a University of California Riverside environmental engineering team has discovered specific bacterial species that can destroy certain kinds of PFAS compounds. And during our CTT Summit panel discussion last September, panelist Victoria Scarborough of The ChemQuest Group discussed a new Hydrothermal Alkaline Treatment (HALT) from startup company Aquagga. This water treatment technology destroys PFAS in water, using high pressure, high temperature, and an alkaline solution to break the carbon-fluorine bonds in PFAS.

I anticipate 2025 will see an increase in our coverage on PFAS alternatives coming to market. In light of this, we have added this topic to our editorial content calendar for the first time. While we are “officially” covering PFAS replacement in our January Coat It! Podcast and in our March issue, we have already scheduled numerous articles on the topic throughout the year.

This issue alone features two articles that focus on PFAS replacement. IndSpyre Solutions presents on new silicone-based wetting agents that aim to match PFAS performance. And Lamberti USA discusses a bio-based coating (using tomato peels) that offers water, oil and grease resistance, heat sealability and a sustainable alternative for food packaging.

If you want to learn more about the PFAS issue, you can watch our 60-minute panel discussion on “Navigating Materials of Concern in the Coatings Industry” for free here. During the discussion, our six panelists from across the value chain define the PFAS problem, assess how it is affecting businesses, discuss what new replacement technologies are under development or already available, and how we move forward from here.

Happy New Year to all of our subscribers and followers! As PFAS alternatives and remediation technologies continue to evolve, I’m eager to see what new research and innovations will cross the PCI editors' desks and shape the coatings industry in 2025.