Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have garnered significant attention for their persistent presence in the environment and potential risks to human health, particularly through contaminated drinking water. Often labeled as “forever chemicals,” PFASs are characterized by their exceptional chemical stability, resisting natural degradation processes and accumulating over time. This resilience, along with their widespread industrial applications in firefighting foams, textiles, non-stick cookware, and packaging materials, has resulted in their pervasive inclusion in global water sources, posing serious challenges for water safety and public health.
A recent comprehensive bibliometric study, analyzing 1,281 peer-reviewed publications indexed in the Web of Science from 2003 to 2023, has illuminated the trajectory and evolution of PFAS research in drinking water. This study goes beyond isolated investigations by integrating pollution pathways, monitoring techniques, and treatment strategies into a unified conceptual framework. Such an approach identifies critical knowledge gaps and technological bottlenecks that hamper effective PFAS management, including the challenges associated with detecting and removing short-chain and ether-based PFAS compounds, as well as the complex issue of safely handling concentrated treatment residuals.
Research activity on PFAS in drinking water can be segmented into three distinctive phases. The initial phase from 2003 to 2008 was characterized by low publication output, averaging four papers annually. During this period, foundational theoretical concepts were established, laying the groundwork for subsequent studies but leaving many practical aspects unexplored. The gradual development phase, spanning 2009 to 2016, saw a steady increase in research momentum with an average of 31 articles per year. While this period expanded understanding of PFAS properties and environmental distribution, Hhealth correlations remained ambiguous, limiting comprehensive risk assessment frameworks.
A seismic shift in PFAS research occurred from 2017 onward, marked by rapid growth accounting for over 79% of the total publications in this field. This surge was largely in response to heightened regulatory scrutiny, exemplified by the 2017 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) health advisories, which intensified the urgency for concrete solutions. This phase underscored the escalating scientific and regulatory efforts to understand not only PFAS occurrence but also their fate, transport, and toxicity in aquatic systems. The rapid escalation of research culminated in an era of innovative analytical methodologies optimized for sensitivity and specificity.
Looking ahead, logistic modeling predicts a continuation of this exponential growth trend in PFAS research, with projections estimating nearly 7,700 cumulative publications by 2030 accompanied by over 240,000 citations. The environmental sciences and engineering domains dominate the research landscape, with notable contributions from the United States, China, and Sweden, reflecting these countries’ commitment to addressing PFAS challenges through advanced scientific inquiry and technological innovation.
PFAS contamination arises primarily through surface runoff, soil leaching, and atmospheric deposition. Each pathway contributes to the dispersal of these chemicals into groundwater and surface water sources, complicating source-tracking and remediation efforts. Surface runoff often transfers PFAS from industrial or firefighting sites into adjacent water bodies, soil leaching facilitates contamination of aquifers, and atmospheric deposition spreads volatile PFAS compounds over wide geographic regions.
Analytical detection of PFAS has traditionally depended on sophisticated laboratory-based techniques such as liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). This method remains the gold standard for quantifying PFAS at trace levels due to its sensitivity and molecular specificity. Nevertheless, recent advancements have introduced portable high-selectivity sensors capable of in situ monitoring, offering the potential for real-time field deployment. These emerging technologies promise to dramatically enhance spatial and temporal resolution of PFAS monitoring, which is critical for risk identification and effective mitigation.
The removal of PFAS from drinking water streams continues to present formidable challenges. Current treatment methodologies, including activated carbon adsorption, ion-exchange resins, membrane filtration technologies, and advanced oxidation processes, each come with inherent limitations and trade-offs relating to cost, efficacy, and operational complexity. Activated carbon, while widely used, struggles with short-chain PFAS. Ion-exchange methods demonstrate improved selectivity but are costly and generate concentrated waste brines. Membrane technologies provide physical separation yet require energy-intensive operations. Advanced oxidation is effective for organic contaminants but less so for highly stable PFAS molecules.
This multifaceted problem demands a paradigm shift from fragmented scientific inquiries to integrated, system-level approaches. The coupling of laboratory-based LC-MS/MS analytical platforms with field-deployable sensor networks, supported by standardized data protocols, is essential to close existing monitoring gaps. Such integration would improve detection of recalcitrant short-chain and ether-based PFAS, whose risk profiles are not yet fully understood. Additionally, addressing the treatment bottleneck necessitates development of multistage “intercept-and-destroy” treatment trains that synergistically combine adsorption, degradation, and residuals management steps under cost-performance metrics that facilitate technology scaling and regulatory acceptance.
Moreover, the safe management of concentrated treatment residuals involves environmental and engineering challenges to prevent secondary contamination. Residual concentrations of PFAS in spent media from adsorption or ion-exchange units demand innovative disposal or destruction technologies capable of breaking the strong carbon-fluorine bonds characteristic of these substances. Thermal destruction methods, plasma treatments, and advanced catalytic processes are under investigation but require optimization for economic and environmental sustainability.
This comprehensive bibliometric synthesis ultimately calls for enhanced global collaboration and policy coordination to bridge scientific advancements with practical implementation. Only by aligning efforts across analytical chemistry, environmental engineering, regulatory policy, and public health can the pervading threat of PFAS contamination in drinking water be effectively mitigated. The pressing need for tiered regulatory standards, robust data sharing networks, and economically viable technologies underscores the critical nexus of science, technology, and governance in safeguarding water quality against these persistent contaminants.
In essence, the ongoing and projected explosion of research reflects an urgent collective response to a complex environmental health challenge. Future progress hinges on multidisciplinary integration that marries detection, treatment, and management strategies within an overarching, systematized framework. By accelerating these convergent pathways, the scientific community aims to translate burgeoning knowledge into tangible outcomes—empowering stakeholders with practical tools to achieve safer drinking water and protect public health from the insidious legacy of PFAS pollution.
Subject of Research: Not applicable
Article Title: Insights into the fate of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in drinking water based on bibliometric analysis: research hot spots, challenges, and trends
Web References: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wateco.2025.100017
Image Credits: Chong Liu, et al
Keywords: Technology, Engineering, Computer science, Biomedical engineering, Environmental engineering, Chemical engineering
