Research Projects

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are anthropogenic chemicals used in various industries, including fire-fighting foams, stain repelling agents, and pesticides. These chemicals are not biodegradable and can accumulate in the body, leading to health issues such as kidney cancer, liver damage, immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and testicular cancer. In the US and Europe, managing and removing PFAS in water and wastewater is a significant issue. In India, PFAS levels in breast milk are higher than the drinking water health advisory limit. The Indian government has taken steps towards developing a framework for regulating PFAS substances by adopting international standards. Current technologies for PFAS removal in India include activated carbon filtration, ion exchange, and reverse osmosis. Electro-oxidation or electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have shown promise in destroying PFAS substances. However, there is little research in India on creating new technologies for removing PFAS chemicals from wastewater. A novel and efficient solution based on an electro-oxidation EAOP process using indigenously developed BDD electrodes is proposed to address this issue.