Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) are per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) linked to adverse health effects. Due to their recalcitrance to conventional treatment, alternate options have been explored. Electrochemical mineralization which employs direct current to transform PFOA/PFOS into bicarbonate, fluoride, and sulfate is a promising one but still has some gaps to be addressed. Most previous studies were not able to achieve full mineralization of PFOA/PFOS and complete fluorine mass balance. The goal of this research is to achieve full PFOA/PFOS mineralization by testing different anodes and current densities and validate complete fluorine mass balance. The study tested different anode materials such as boron-doped diamond, Ebonex-Plus, and Ti/RuO<sub>2</sub> for their mineralization efficiency of PFOA/PFOS at current densities ranging from 0.1 to 40 mA/cm<sup>2</sup>. Mineralization efficiency was calculated as a ratio of fluoride at the end of reaction time to the amount of organic fluorine in the initial sample. The effect of applied current density was determined by studying the increase in PFOA/PFOS mineralization with increasing current density and arriving at an optimum based on the plot between PFOA/PFOS mineralization and applied current density. The complete electrochemical study setup consisted of the main reactor vessel containing PFOA/PFOS along with the supporting electrolyte and an absorption solution that captures PFAS and hydrogen fluoride gases produced during the degradation of PFOA/PFOS. To achieve complete fluorine mass balance at the end of treatment, first, PFAS compounds in samples collected from the reactors and absorption solutions were analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for PFAS compounds whose standards are available. These samples were also analyzed for adsorbable organic fluorine (AOF) to account for unknown PFAS compounds formed. Finally, fluoride in the reactor samples and those captured by the absorption solution were analyzed by ion chromatography thus completing the fluorine mass balance.

Electrochemical mineralization of PFOA and PFOS

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.