A Wonder Weapon Is Born in the Fight Against Forever Chemicals
To remove the "forever chemicals" known in the wastewater business as PFAS, the water industry can currently only work with expensive, energy-intensive tools that, on top of that, let the most stubborn pollutants through. A recent European finding, however, brings an unusual candidate into the fight: cellulose woven by bacteria. Laboratory results so far are convincing, and the raw material can even be made from agricultural waste. The only question is whether it will make it out of the test tube and revolutionise the fight against PFAS.
A bacterial culture thriving on sugar beet molasses and corn stalks does not, at first hearing, sound like the future of water treatment. Yet according to new European research, bacterial cellulose also captures the pollutants that conventional filters routinely surrender to (European Commission, 2026).
The problem is a familiar one. Activated carbon, ion exchange and membrane filtration are the standard tools for removing PFAS today. But for some PFAS, activated carbon is only 50–70% effective, and it is also expensive, non-selective and produces secondary waste. Short-chain pollutants often slip through it. W4 previously presented an Australian nano-cage adsorbent; cellulose approaches the same question from a different angle.
Slender fibres, large surface
Bacterial cellulose is produced by bacteria of the genus Komagataeibacter: a biodegradable complex carbohydrate that the microbes weave around themselves from a nutrient solution. Three properties matter: it has a huge specific surface area, it is mechanically strong, and its chemistry can be freely tuned. It has already proved itself against heavy metals, dyes and microplastics; now the question was what it can do with the harder cases: PFAS, endocrine disruptors and nanoplastics.
The numbers are convincing. Bacterial cellulose can remove 90–98% of PFAS, 90–95% of endocrine disruptors and 80–90% of nanoplastics from water (Shija, 2025). It deals with each pollutant differently: it binds PFAS by adsorption and breaks them down under UV light; it captures nanoplastics through adhesion and physical trapping; and it turns endocrine disruptors into harmless particles through adsorption, size-exclusion filtration and biological degradation.
Enhancing cellulose's strengths
The raw material's performance can be raised further by chemical modification. Carboxymethylated cellulose binds PFAS more strongly; a version combined with graphene oxide traps nanoplastics better; and cellulose populated with microbes breaks down endocrine disruptors such as tetracycline or bisphenol A. Hybrid systems – for example, cellulose combined with nanofiltration and electro-oxidation – can increase pollutant removal by up to 95%.
The most attractive part, however, comes next: the cellulose can be produced from agricultural waste – molasses, corn stalks, fruit peel. This lowers production costs and removes dependence on conventional, energy-intensive feedstocks such as glucose.
From lab marvel to practice
This is where the familiar difficulty arises. For bacterial cellulose to leave the lab, it first has to be measured precisely what it can do: how much pollutant it captures, whether it is non-toxic and how many times it can be reused. But that can only be compared with other processes if everyone uses the same international test methods. The review calls for exactly this, and for the material to comply with EU chemicals regulation and with rules on biodegradability and health safety.
However promising the technology, it will go nowhere unless authorities, universities and industry join forces, unless there is European research funding for it, and unless the first real-scale pilot plants are built. Without that, bacterial cellulose will remain a lab favourite.
For now, the two sides of the scale are not equal. On one side: efficiency above 90% and a cheap, biodegradable material made from waste. On the other: missing standards, and the fact that it is not yet used to treat water anywhere in practice. Whether the membrane woven by bacteria makes it from the lab to the filters of waterworks depends on whether Europe is willing to invest in it now.
To remove PFAS, the "forever chemicals", the water industry relies on expensive, energy-intensive tools – activated carbon, ion exchange, membrane filtration – which still let short-chain, mobile pollutants through. For some PFAS, activated carbon is only 50–70% effective. A new European review puts forward an unusual candidate: cellulose woven by Komagataeibacter bacteria. According to laboratory data, this biodegradable, high-surface-area material removes 90–98% of PFAS, 90–95% of endocrine disruptors and 80–90% of nanoplastics – and even more with chemical modification and in hybrid systems. Its greatest advantage is its circular logic: it can be produced from agricultural waste – molasses, corn stalks, fruit peel. The review, however, calls for life-cycle assessment, ISO standards, REACH alignment and real-scale pilot plants. Without them, bacterial cellulose will remain a lab favourite – the breakthrough depends on whether Europe is willing to invest in the technology now.
Removing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as "forever chemicals", is one of the most stubborn water challenges. Today the water industry fights them with activated carbon, ion exchange and membrane filtration, but these processes are expensive and energy-intensive and let the most mobile pollutants through. For some PFAS, activated carbon is only 50–70% effective, is non-selective and produces a secondary waste stream; short-chain variants – an increasing share of what reaches water – often simply slip through.
A new European review presents an unusual alternative: bacterial cellulose. This biodegradable complex carbohydrate is woven around themselves by bacteria of the genus Komagataeibacter. Thanks to its enormous specific surface area, mechanical strength and tunable chemistry, laboratory data show it can remove 90–98% of PFAS, 90–95% of endocrine disruptors and 80–90% of nanoplastics. It deals with each pollutant through a different mechanism: adsorption, physical trapping, size-exclusion filtration, and degradation under UV light and by biological means. With chemical modification – carboxymethylation, graphene oxide or combination with microbes – its performance can be raised further, up to 95% in hybrid systems.
Its greatest strength, however, is its circular logic: the material can be produced from agricultural waste – molasses, corn stalks, fruit peel – reducing cost and dependence on glucose. The review nonetheless calls for full life-cycle assessment, ISO standards, REACH alignment and real-scale pilot plants. Without them, bacterial cellulose will remain a lab favourite – the breakthrough depends on whether Europe is willing to invest now in a technology it will end up paying for later anyway.
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