This first volume provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), integrating fundamental concepts with applied perspectives. It begins with a detailed examination of PFAS nomenclature, molecular structures, physicochemical properties, and analytical methodologies, offering readers a solid foundation for understanding this diverse group of compounds. The book then explores the broad spectrum of PFAS applications and summarizes current research trends, highlighting advances, challenges, and knowledge gaps in the field. 

Special attention is given to the distinction between short- and long-chain PFAS and the implications of these differences for water management and regulatory policies worldwide. The final chapters critically compare legacy PFAS with new-generation alternatives, assessing similarities, differences, and unresolved concerns regarding their environmental behavior, toxicity, and regulation. 

By bringing together contributions from leading international experts, this book aims to bridge science, technology, and policy, serving as a valuable reference for researchers, environmental professionals, regulators, and stakeholders seeking to understand, manage, and ultimately mitigate PFAS contamination. 

Grégorio CRINI is environmental polymerist at the Université Marie and Louis Pasteur, Besançon, France. The activities of his research group focus on the tracking and the identification of chemical contaminants in environmental matrices, the design of innovative polymer networks for pollutant removal, and the environmental aspects of polysaccharide chemistry. He has published more than 250 papers and reviews (including 21 Environmental Chemistry Letters, 5 Progress in Polymer Science, and 1 Chemical Reviews), ca. 50 book chapters, one patent, edited one book, and co-edited 18 books. Dr. Crini is a highly cited researcher with a total number of citation count exceeding 23,500 (h-index: 53). Since 2021, he has been recognized by Stanford University as one of the top 2% most widely cited scientists in the world, in position 940 out of more 300,000 researchers for 2025 across all disciplines (8th of 124,976 researchers in the subdiscipline of Polymers). 

Dario LACALAMITA is a chemist and post-doctoral researcher at the Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy. His research focuses on the chemical analysis of emerging environmental contaminants and their removal through advanced strategies, including advanced oxidation processes, energy recovery from waste (via bioelectrochemistry and electrocatalysis), and adsorption treatments using innovative materials such as chitosan-based materials and cyclodextrin polymers. Dr. Lacalamita spent several years collaborating with renowned global research groups. He served as an Invited Student at the São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil. Furthermore, he spent two years as a Guest Researcher in the group of Grégorio Crini at the Université Marie and Louis Pasteur (Besançon, France). With a publication record of approximately forty peer-reviewed articles, Dr. Lacalamita is an active member of the scientific community and has presented his findings at numerous international conferences across Italy, France, Brazil, Germany, and beyond 

Nathalie GROVA is currently head of the biological monitoring laboratory at the French National Research and Safety Institute for the Prevention of Occupational Accidents and Diseases (INRS). With extensive experience as an environmental toxicologist, she has dedicated several years to advancing the field by developing new biomarkers for assessing the toxicity of persistent organic pollutants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, flame retardants, and more recently per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Her research focusses on improving the understanding of the links between exposure to pollutants and the resulting biological or biochemical disorders. To date, she has been actively involved in developing new methods to identify emerging pollutants, improve exposure characterization, and the prevention of health risks. She is the author of 70 scientific peer reviewed articles and 6 book chapters. Since 2019, Dr. Grova has served as an associate Editor of Environmental Chemistry Letters (H-index 27; citations 2234; google scholar 01-2026). 

Jie HAN earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Xi’an Jiaotong University, followed by her doctoral degree from the University of Auckland in New Zealand, where she was honored with the Vice-Chancellor’s Prize for Best Doctoral Thesis. She worked as postdoctoral and visiting researcher at the University of Auckland, National University of Singapore, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and University of Massachusetts Amherst. Dr. Han returned to Xi’an Jiaotong University in 2018 and is currently a professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences with a XJTU Young Talent Tier-A appointment. She leads a research group in environmental pollution and public health, specializing in the environmental behavior, remediation, and risk assessment of emerging contaminants. To date, she has published more than 90 articles and has an H-index of 34. Her research has been reported globally by academic and public media including ACS, RSC, TIME magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The Boston Globe, RIA Novosti and FOCUS. Dr. Han serves as the Editor-in-Chief for Environmental Chemistry Letters and as an editorial board member for Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, Chemical Engineering Journal, and Animal Diseases 

Chiara MONGIOVÍ is a physical chemist and researcher at Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), based at the Brindisi Research Centre, Brindisi, Italy. Her research focuses on the recovery of critical and strategic raw materials, as well as on the development of sustainable bio-based materials for water treatment and electrochemical applications. Dr. Mongioví obtained her PhD in Chemistry from Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Besançon, France (2023), under the supervision of Grégorio Crini, with a thesis on pollutant removal from water using hemp industry by-products. She previously held a postdoctoral position at CNR IPCF, Bari, Italy, where she worked on metal-free polymer composite electrodes for advanced supercapacitors. She is co-founder of the start-up Be.Me, developing innovative sustainable materials for energy storage applications. Dr. Mongioví has authored over 25 publications and 2 patent applications. 

Eric Lichtfouse, Distinguished Professor at Xi’an Jiaotong University, China, and Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences, is the pioneer of soil carbon dynamics at the molecular level, and the founder of single sample molecular chronology, a new discipline based on the discovery of several temporal pools of the same organic substance, a plant-derived alkane, in the same soil sample. For that, he has invented a new method, carbon-13 dating, allowing to use organic substances as molecular clocks to measure their relative age. Single sample molecular chronology opens novel research fields in all biological, geological and environmental sciences studying complex organic matter. In particular, his findings on soil molecular dynamics are essential for improving carbon sequestration in the context of global warming, and for reducing diseases induced by environmental contaminants. He has founded the European Association of Chemistry and the Environment, the journal Environmental Chemistry Letters, the book series Sustainable Agriculture Reviews and Environmental Chemistry for a Sustainable World, and the newsletter Publier La Science. He was also Chief-Editor of the journal Agronomy for Sustainable Development. He has organized international meetings in environmental chemistry, stable isotopes, soil organic matter, humic substances, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, carbon sequestration and conversion to fuels and chemicals, in France, the USA (ACS), and China. He is also XTerra World Vice-Champion and ITU Cross Triathlon Bronze medal, in his age category.