TY - JOUR
T1 - Challenges and Opportunities in PFAS Waste Management for Semiconductor Manufacturing
AU - Gokhale, Devashish
AU - Cerrón-Calle, Gabriel A.
AU - Kim-Fu, Mitchell L.
AU - Flores, Kenneth
AU - Román Santiago, Anaira
AU - Tsai, Shao Wei
AU - Aga, Diana S.
AU - Aich, Nirupam
AU - Diallo, Mamadou S.
AU - Doudrick, Kyle
AU - Hanigan, David
AU - Hernández Sánchez, Raúl
AU - Howarter, John
AU - Jiang, Jianbing “Jimmy”
AU - Jones, Gerrad D.
AU - Lee, Linda S.
AU - Liu, Haizhou
AU - Manz, Katherine E.
AU - McKenzie, Erica R.
AU - Padhye, Lokesh P.
AU - Sankaran, R. Mohan
AU - Shepard, Scott M.
AU - Strathmann, Timothy J.
AU - Venkatesan, Arjun K.
AU - Wong, Michael S.
AU - Leet, Robert
AU - Speed, David
AU - Field, Jennifer A.
AU - Westerhoff, Paul
AU - Su, Xiao
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2026 American Chemical Society
PY - 2026/1/27
Y1 - 2026/1/27
N2 - Semiconductor manufacturing is rapidly expanding alongside tightening environmental regulations and increasing public concern around per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Because of their unique chemical properties, PFAS are used across numerous processes in semiconductor manufacturing. Given process complexity and lengthy development timelines for alternatives, eliminating PFAS use in this industry is not currently feasible. Developing practical technologies for PFAS waste management is therefore critical but uniquely challenging in semiconductor manufacturing due to the nature of waste streams (parts-per-billion PFAS concentrations, complex backgrounds including hundreds of chemicals, prevalence of ultrashort PFAS, total stream volumes up to 35,000 m3 per day per facility, and distribution across gas, liquid, and solid phases) and significant constraints on space and systems redesign. This review describes recent developments and key questions that must be addressed to develop impactful and commercially viable detection and abatement methods for PFAS waste management in semiconductor manufacturing. Integrating these technologies into compact, high-performance systems and testing them under realistic conditions (complex PFAS mixtures, high fluoride/ionic strength, pH 6–11, low contact time, process variability) through industrial collaborations is essential for scalable, cost-effective solutions. Research addressing semiconductor industry-specific PFAS waste is essential to enable environmental compliance while supporting the continued growth of semiconductor manufacturing.
AB - Semiconductor manufacturing is rapidly expanding alongside tightening environmental regulations and increasing public concern around per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Because of their unique chemical properties, PFAS are used across numerous processes in semiconductor manufacturing. Given process complexity and lengthy development timelines for alternatives, eliminating PFAS use in this industry is not currently feasible. Developing practical technologies for PFAS waste management is therefore critical but uniquely challenging in semiconductor manufacturing due to the nature of waste streams (parts-per-billion PFAS concentrations, complex backgrounds including hundreds of chemicals, prevalence of ultrashort PFAS, total stream volumes up to 35,000 m3 per day per facility, and distribution across gas, liquid, and solid phases) and significant constraints on space and systems redesign. This review describes recent developments and key questions that must be addressed to develop impactful and commercially viable detection and abatement methods for PFAS waste management in semiconductor manufacturing. Integrating these technologies into compact, high-performance systems and testing them under realistic conditions (complex PFAS mixtures, high fluoride/ionic strength, pH 6–11, low contact time, process variability) through industrial collaborations is essential for scalable, cost-effective solutions. Research addressing semiconductor industry-specific PFAS waste is essential to enable environmental compliance while supporting the continued growth of semiconductor manufacturing.
KW - PFAS monitoring
KW - advanced oxidation processes
KW - electrochemical degradation
KW - fluorine mass balance
KW - industry
KW - membrane separation
KW - semiconductor wastewater
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105028701867
U2 - 10.1021/acs.est.5c10109
DO - 10.1021/acs.est.5c10109
M3 - Review article
C2 - 41530997
SN - 0013-936X
VL - 60
SP - 2259
EP - 2276
JO - Environmental Science and Technology
JF - Environmental Science and Technology
IS - 3
ER -