PFAS are emerging contaminants of concern in the global environment after decades of intensive use. The presence of high levels of PFAS in treated wastewater sludge and biosolids from municipal wastewater treatment plants can pose a potential health risk after the recycling of sludge for agricultural land application. Perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) are one of the most widely detected classes of PFAS. This study investigated the impact of perfluorinated carbon chain length on the transport behavior of PFCAs by testing and modeling two short-chain (PFPeA and PFHxA) and two long-chain PFCAs (PFOA and PFDA) in laboratory water-saturated columns. Moreover, their transport behavior was examined under different solution chemistry conditions, including pH, ionic strength, and cationic type. The experimental and simulation results indicated that chain length had a limited impact on the transport behaviors of PFPeA, PFHxA, and PFOA under various pH and ionic strengths, evidenced by their tracer-like breakthrough curves. In contrast, the mobility of PFDA was significantly affected by pH and ionic strengths. Additionally, the transport of all four PFCAs was inhabited in the presence of the divalent cation Ca<sup>2+</sup>. This study could help predict migration behavior and assess the potential risk of PFCAs in the subsurface system.

Transport behavior of short-chain and long-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) in saturated porous media

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

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