Challenges and Opportunities in PFAS Waste Management for Semiconductor Manufacturing
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 m<sup>3</sup> 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.
Authors
- David Speed (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0978-5679)
- 이장훈
- Anaira Román Santiago (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6884-7828)
- Michael S. Wong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3652-3378)
- Gabriel Antonio Cerrón-Calle (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5512-8170)
- Erica R. McKenzie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1982-2533)
- Kyle Doudrick (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1912-9819)
- Shao-Wei Tsai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2905-5059)
- Mitchell L. Kim-Fu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6729-6115)
- Xiao Su (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7794-290X)
- Jennifer A. Field (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9346-4693)
- David Hanigan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6947-7611)
- Timothy J. Strathmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7299-3115)
- Devashish Gokhale (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2545-2735)
- Katherine E. Manz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8225-9168)
- Raúl Hernández Sánchez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6013-2708)
- Gerrad D. Jones (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1529-9506)
- Arjun K. Venkatesan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9760-9004)
- Lokesh P. Padhye (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4743-7245)
- Mamadou S. Diallo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2571-1568)
- Jianbing Jiang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7466-522X)
- Haizhou Liu
- Linda S. Lee
- John Howarter
- R. Mohan Sankaran
- Kenneth Flores
- Robert Leet
- Diana S. Aga
- Nirupam Aich
- Scott M. Shepard
Institutions
- University of Notre Dame (US)
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln (US)
- New Jersey Institute of Technology (US)
- California Institute of Technology (US)
- PepsiCo (United Kingdom) (GB)
- Oregon State University (US)
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (US)
- State University of New York (US)
- University of Nevada, Reno (US)
- New York State Department of State (US)
- University of Auckland (NZ)
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- Colorado School of Mines (US)
- Purdue University West Lafayette (US)
- University of Michigan (US)
- Temple College (US)
- University of California System (US)
- GlobalFoundries (United States) (US)
- Sustainability Institute (ZA)
- National Institute of Standards (EG)
- LEK Consulting (United States) (US)
- Arizona State University (US)
- Stony Brook University (US)
- University of Cincinnati (US)
- University at Buffalo, State University of New York (US)
- Rice University (US)
- Temple University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Environmental Science & Technology
- Published
- 2026-01-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c10109
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 47.67