Adsorption is considered a realistic and economic approach to rapidly remove per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from contaminated water. A series of functionalized periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) materials with tunable contents of functional groups were prepared through co-condensation of desired silanes. The mono- and bi-functional PMOs were characterized for structure, morphology, and functional group loading. The performance of all the functionalized PMOs were investigated for the removal of perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) as a representative and challenging short-chain perfluoroalkyl acid. Based on the results from adsorption experiments and sorption free energy analysis, the adsorption of PFBA on bifunctional PMOs was governed by both electrostatic and non-electrostatic interactions. The optimal bifunctional PMO material exhibited ultrafast kinetics and strong affinity for PFBA adsorption, and showed excellent removal efficiency in various water chemistry conditions. Moreover, the optimal bifunctional PMO can be regenerated and reused for PFBA removal for numerous cycles, and also showed robust performance for simultaneous removal of multiple PFAS in natural water. This presentation will focus on material synthesis, characterization, and performance evaluation under environmentally relevant conditions.

Removal of short-chain PFAS by functionalized periodic mesoporous organosilica materials

ACS Spring 2022

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