Meet Kimberley Christopher, FSU doctoral candidate developing plasma technology to destroy ‘forever chemicals’

A Florida State University doctoral candidate is trying to tackle one of the most persistent classes of environmental contaminants with a technology designed not just to capture PFAS, but potentially destroy them. Kimberley Christopher, a doctoral candidate in Florida State University’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has developed a patent-pending plasma process that uses electrons to trigger the breakdown of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS or “forever chemicals.” After winning a collegiate startup pitch competition, Christopher is now testing the technology’s commercial potential through the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps program.The NSF-backed project, led by FSU chemical engineering professor Bruce R. Locke, is examining whether the technology can become a cost-competitive, energy-efficient way of destroying PFAS in water. The active I-Corps award runs from September 2026 through August 2027 and provides $50,000 in funding for the team to assess its translation and commercial potential.Why PFAS are difficult to destroyPFAS refers to a large class of human-made chemicals that have been used for decades because of their resistance to hea...