This month, the EU introduced mandatory systematic monitoring requirements for per and polyfluoroalkyl-substances (PFAS) in drinking water, aimed at promoting compliance with new limit values in the revised EU Drinking Water Directive (2024/2184). The new limits are 0.5 µg/L for total PFAS and 0.1 µg/L for the sum of 20 specific PFAS. If limit values are exceeded, action must be taken to reduce PFAS concentrations while also informing the public. Measures may include restricting the use of water supplies for as long as the exceedance continues, closing contaminated sources, and adding treatment steps to remove PFAS.
Meanwhile, research continues to explore PFAS treatment technologies. For example, researchers at Rice University have recently announced the development of a new material which can absorb PFAS one hundred times faster than previous sorbents. if its performance can be validated under field conditions, such an approach could offer major advantages especially if the material is easily regenerated and can be used in existing filtration infrastructure. However, laboratory results for sorbents have not always delivered on their promise, highlighting the need for continued efforts and investment to address complex water matrices and operational conditions.
Work on biological removal of PFAS is beginning to take a more integrated, whole-system perspective. Bio-based PFAS removal approaches could replace and/or integrate with existing physico-chemical treatments, with the potential to offer more robust, cost-effective and environmentally compatible solutions to what is increasingly recognised as a major challenge. New tools and concepts developed during the lifetime of EBNet may soon lead to rapid advances in our understanding of the potential for effective bio-based treatments.
Dr Tao Lyu, who coordinates EBNet’s PFAS WG, said: “Our recent proposal, which builds on earlier work including an EBNet POC project, has been successfully selected for funding through the Environmental Biotechnology Innovation Centre (EBIC) Flexible Fund scheme. This new project will take the work further by combining AI-driven sequence reconstruction, molecular dynamics and enzyme immobilisation to engineer PFAS-degrading biocatalysts. Our ambition is to support wider innovation in bio-based and hybrid PFAS treatment workflows that complement broader regulatory and treatment efforts”.
EBNet’s official UKRI funding finishes at the end of January 2026, but the PFAS WG will continue its activities through the Better Water 4 All Network+ and EBIC. Look out for news of more developments in this area via our sister and successor organisations!