A broad view of PFAS

KWR puts the full range of PFAS issues for water on the map. From sources to treatment. And from monitoring to health effects. As one of the highlights from 2025, theme coordinator Arnaut van Loon refers to the new insight that PFAS already break down at lower temperatures during the reactivation of activated carbon. “Drinking water utilities use activated carbon in drinking water preparation to remove PFAS and other substances from the water,” he explains. “When the carbon is saturated, it stops working efficiently and it has to be reactivated. This is done at a high temperature and in oxygen-free conditions. The idea was that PFAS only degrade at much higher temperatures than those used in reactivation. Our research demonstrates that that idea doesn’t hold water. From 500 degrees Celsius upwards, we no longer find PFOA and PFOS – two known PFAS components – on the carbon. That an existing technology leads to this result is, as far as I’m concerned, surprisingly positive news in what is a depressing area.”

A study of short-chain PFAS published last year is also high on Van Loon’s list. That study was conducted as part of the Waterwijs programme with the aim of identifying distribution and sources, which treatment techniques can remove these substances, and whether they are found in groundwater. Van Loon: “Short-chain PFAS such as TFA spread easily in the environment. It was already known that they can get everywhere via airborne deposition. What our research adds is the insight that TFA is found in intake points and groundwater extraction sites. It also shows that there are many different sources of TFA. For example, it may come from industry, or from the conversion of larger PFAS components such as those used for refrigeration and pesticides. Building on these results, we are working towards the comprehensive monitoring of pesticides in groundwater and surface water that will start sometime next year.”

Additional treatment needed

In 2025, we published overview articles on the KWR website on the current status of PFAS research, the status of knowledge being developed on the subject, and how practical studies such as living labs contribute to this. Van Loon is crystal clear about the importance of PFAS research for the water sector. “If the current guideline value for PFAS in drinking water is converted into a legal standard or quality requirement, additional treatment will be required. Current technologies to remove PFAS are not effective enough. The technologies that are cost a lot of energy or make drinking water production inefficient. So there’s no simple solution. That is why, here at KWR, we are looking at the entire PFAS chain and where we can intervene. This ranges from wastewater and drinking water treatment to soil remediation. We are applying knowledge from PFAS research on drinking water to other sectors for this purpose.”

In early 2025, the Triple Quad 7500+ mass spectrometer was purchased specifically for the analysis of PFAS. This system makes PFAS analysis less labour-intensive, more robust, simpler and more sensitive.

Overview and guidance based on practice

Due to the scope and urgency of the research field related to PFAS, a dedicated task force and steering committee have been established to provide structure. The PFAS task force has an internal KWR focus and it ensures that research results are put into context properly and get to the right place. The PFAS steering committee, which was established in 2024 and organised on the basis of the Waterwijs programme, supervises practice-oriented research programming and results. “We watch out for consistency and try to prevent any blind spots,” says Van Loon, who is the secretary of the PFAS steering committee. “By maintaining an overview, we keep a constant eye on the significance of the results for the water sector and what needs to be studied further. That guidance based on practice is extremely valuable.”

Bringing knowledge together

Since 2025 and previous years have already provided so many insights relating to PFAS, those results are being brought together in 2026. “We are working on assembling knowledge to take meaningful subsequent steps on that basis in collaboration with the water utilities,” says Van Loon. “A comprehensive study of the health effects of PFAS is also in progress. Here, we take a broader look than is required for setting standards. We do not confine our work to specific diseases such as liver disorders. On the contrary, we include all kinds of potential PFAS health effects to determine the extent to which they impact healthy life years in humans. This provides a more nuanced picture than has been possible so far and places the PFAS challenge for drinking water utilities in a broader perspective.”

New insights

Van Loon stresses that any standard for drinking water will not provide straightforward clarity. “We monitor only a few of the thousands of PFAS substances. For instance, KWR research recently identified fifteen PFAS components that have not yet been covered by monitoring in the Netherlands. In addition, our knowledge about PFAS behaviour is still patchy. To a large extent, we do not know what has entered into the environment and how fast it is moving to extraction locations. Our understanding is constantly evolving and technological developments for the removal and degradation of PFAS are also still ongoing. We must therefore continue to help the water sector here with our research.”