Biotech firm electrocutes soil so bacteria can eat ‘forever chemicals’
Fixed Earth is attempting to remove PFAS “forever chemicals” from soil at a test site in Wisconsin by filling it with chemical-eating bacteria and electrocuting the ground
Environment
12 July 2022
Soil laced with contaminating chemicals, like at this site in Utah, can require significant clean-up efforts
Eric R. Hinson/Getty Images
A biotech firm is trialling the removal of PFAS “forever chemicals” from soil at a test site in Wisconsin by injecting chemical-eating bacteria and electrocuting the ground.
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are a class of thousands of different synthetic chemicals that contain carbon and fluorine atoms linked by strong bonds. The chemicals – which repel grease and water – have been in widespread use since the 1940s in everything from firefighting foam at airports …
