Unraveling the Adsorptive/Catalytic Roles of Carbonaceous Materials in Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS) Degradation: Current Status and Perspectives

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as persistent environmental pollutants, require advanced degradation technologies beyond conventional adsorption to mitigate their ecological and health risks. With notable adsorptive and catalytic properties, carbonaceous materials have emerged as a potential group of candidates capable of enhancing the PFAS degradation. Hence, a comprehensive understanding of the roles of carbonaceous materials in PFAS degradation is crucial to paving the way for developing efficient and applicable PFAS degradation technologies. This critical review systematically evaluates the physicochemical properties of carbonaceous materials, reveals their roles in different PFAS degradation technologies, and identifies challenges for real-world application. This study reveals that tailored hydrophobicity, surface functionalization, and porosity in carbonaceous materials significantly improve PFAS adsorption, and the rapid charge transfer and generation of charge carriers enable catalytic activity for PFAS degradation. However, limited material stability during application, interference from complex water matrices, toxicity from material leaching, PFAS degradation intermediates, and chemical additives, along with limited system expandability, remain key challenges. By bridging material science with environmental engineering, this review discusses actionable strategies for developing innovative degradation technologies using carbonaceous materials as well as advancing the technologies toward practical applications.