The increasing concerns of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water sources are not only because of their ubiquitous presence but also due to the challenge of PFAS removal. Since PFAS commonly carry negatively charged functional groups in water phase, anion exchange has been a promising treatment process in removing legacy PFAS. However, whether anion exchange is capable of efficiently removing emerging PFAS, such as GenX and other perfluoroalkyl ether acids, remains uncertain. In this study, we tested nine commercially available anion exchange resins for their removal of 40 legacy and emerging PFAS, regeneration recovery, and the effect of water matrix. Bench-scale batch experiments were conducted by using groundwater collected near a fluorochemical manufacturer in North Carolina. The result shows that five of the tested nine anion exchange resins were able to remove more than half of the 40 spiked PFAS compounds over 90% in 2 hours. Resins with polystyrene-DVB matrix performed better than other polymer matrices. These five resins were further examined for regeneration under practical conditions. The regeneration strategies were systematically evaluated, including the effect of cation, anion, salt concentration, and pH, as well as the percentage of organic solvent. By evaluating the capability of regeneration under practical applications, three resins were chosen for further determining the effects of water matrix on PFAS removal, including pH, competing anion concentration and natural organic matter.

Evaluating the efficiency of various anion exchange resins for removing legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)

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.