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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are organic compounds consisting of carbon chains in which the hydrogen atoms are completely or partially replaced by fluorine atoms. The strong chemical bonds between carbon and fluorine atoms in PFAS lead to very stable substances with particularly useful properties such as chemical inertness, water repellency, lubricity, non-stick properties, fire resistance and heat resistance. However, they are not readily biodegradable and are therefore difficult to break down in the environment (Ye et al. 2015).
PFAS are used in many fields of application in industry and in end products, such as in industrial production, in seals, lubricants, packaging, metal coatings, in medical technology products, electronic devices, solar cells, fuel cells, batteries, in the construction sector and also in consumer products in textiles, cookware and cosmetics (Glüge et al. 2020, ECHA 2023). Due to their effects on the environment and humans and their persistence in the environment, PFAS are currently the subject of much debate and an initiative has been launched at EU level to potentially ban substances (ECHA 2023). Companies from Baden-Württemberg and all over Europe are now looking for substitutes for the use of PFAS in order to have alternatives available in the event of a possible substance ban.
This meta-study therefore provides an overview of possible substances and substance groups that have the potential to replace the technical functions of PFAS. This is analysed in depth using selected examples.
Using software tools based on artificial intelligence (AI), possible substitutes were identified and analysed in a structured manner. After analysing 35,246 scientific documents worldwide, 420 materials and their summary in 32 classes were identified for five participating well-known companies from Baden-Württemberg. After analysing the requirements of the participating companies in more detail, only a very limited number of potential substitutes could be identified that could partially replace PFAS as things stand today.
Per- und Polyfluoralkylsubstanzen (PFAS) sind organische Verbindungen aus Kohlenstoffketten, bei denen die Wasserstoffatome vollständig oder teilweise durch Fluoratome ersetzt sind. Die starken chemischen Bindungen zwischen Kohlenstoff- und Fluor-Atomen in PFAS führen zu sehr stabilen Substanzen mit besonders nützlichen Eigenschaften wie chemischer Inertheit, Wasserabweisung, Schmierwirkung, Antihaftwirkung, Feuerbeständigkeit und Hitzebeständigkeit. Sie sind jedoch nur schwer biologisch abbaubar sind und lassen sich daher in der Umwelt nur schwer zersetzen (Ye et al. 2015).
PFAS werden in vielen Anwendungsfeldern in der Industrie und in Endprodukten eingesetzt, wie z. B. in der industriellen Produktion, in Dichtungen, Schmierstoffen, Verpackungen, Metallbeschichtung, in Medizintechnik-Produkten, elektronischen Geräten, Solarzellen, Brennstoffzellen, Batterien, im Baubereich und auch in Consumer-Produkten in Textilien, Kochgeschirr und Kosmetik (Glüge et al. 2020, ECHA 2023). Aufgrund ihrer Wirkungen auf Umwelt und Menschen und ihrer Persistenz in der Umwelt werden PFAS aktuell stark diskutiert und auf EU-Ebene wurde eine Initiative hin zu möglichen Stoffverboten angestoßen (ECHA 2023). Unternehmen aus Baden-Württemberg und ganz Europa suchen inzwischen Substitute für die Anwendung von PFAS, um bei einem möglichen Stoffverbot Alternativen zur Verfügung zu haben.
In dieser Metastudie wird daher eine Übersicht über mögliche Stoffe und Stoffgruppen gegeben, die das Potenzial besitzen, die technischen Funktionen von PFAS zu ersetzen. Dies wird an ausgewählten Beispielen vertieft untersucht.
Unter Nutzung von Softwaretools auf Basis von Künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) wurden mögliche Substitute identifiziert und strukturiert ausgewertet. Nach der Analyse von 35.246 wissenschaftlichen Dokumenten weltweit wurden 420 Materialien und deren Zusammenfassung in 32 Klassen für fünf beteiligte namhaften Unternehmen aus Baden-Württemberg identifiziert. Nach genauerer Analyse der Anforderungen der beteiligten Unternehmen konnte nur eine sehr begrenzte Anzahl potenzieller Ersatzstoffe ermittelt werden, die PFAS nach heutigem Stand partiell substituieren könnten.
Pforzheim University was one of the first 100 participants to sign the PRME initiative in March 2008. When we first learned about PRME we were immediately convinced that it was worthwhile joining it. It perfectly reflects our tradition and our mission statement. In the mission statements of our university and of the Business School we address our responsibility to society and we emphasize that our graduates should be able to contribute to corporate responsibility.
Management education at Pforzheim University is mainly concentrated in the Business School. At the Engineering School the Business Administration and Engineering program is focused on Engineering as well as on Management. Furthermore, some of the graduates from the Design School and from the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering programs at the Engineering School also find themselves in management positions and hence aspects of responsible management are also relevant for their curricula. However, the focus of our commitment and of our reporting is on the Business School.
In the mid 1980s the Business School started to offer classes in Environmental Management as an elective. We gradually extended this to a module called “Ethics and Social Responsibility” which is compulsory for all undergraduates. Moreover, all our programs have integrated aspects of CSR related to their field of expertise - from accounting to marketing and to business law. The challenge now is to integrate these elements in a more systematic way and to define the learning goals and expected learning outcomes more clearly.
In order to implement this process the Business School formed a group of professors (with Dr. Jürgen Volkert as head; juergen.volkert@hs-pforzheim.de) supported by a newly hired PRME Coordinator, Kerstin Anstätt (kerstin.anstaett@hs-pforzheim.de). This group will systematically investigate the ideas of our faculty members in various fields of expertise and initiate a discussion process on how to integrate and add to the given elements - especially based on the wealth of experience and insights we have gained from best practice of our partners in the PRME network.
We are convinced that our participation in the PRME initiative will contribute to improving our education, the learning experience of our students and their future contributions to solving pressing problems in companies and society.