Making waves: Cold plasma at the frontline of pathogen and pollutant control

Cold plasma (CP) is emerging as a powerful tool for water and wastewater treatment, capable of inactivating pathogens, mitigating antimicrobial resistance, and degrading persistent pollutants such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), endocrine disruptors, and PFASs. Although often criticized for limited scalability, recent advances—including modular reactor designs, thin-film and microbubble systems, and integration with renewable energy—are steadily addressing these challenges. Rather than a fully developed solution, CP should be seen as a high-potential technology undergoing a critical transition toward field readiness. This Perspective argues that dismissing CP at this stage would be short-sighted. With targeted investment and interdisciplinary collaboration, CP could become a transformative option for safe water reuse and chemical pollution control in a world facing rising contamination and scarcity.