Ultrasonication degradation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in synthetic environmental samples: Impact of ionic composition and water chemistry

IF 6.3 2区工程技术 Q1 ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL

Journal of water process engineering Pub Date : 2025-07-24 DOI:10.1016/j.jwpe.2025.108376

Olalekan Simon Awoyemi , Chiedza F. Munyeza , Abhishek Sharma , Ravi Naidu , Cheng Fang

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Abstract

This study investigates the effectiveness of ultrasonication in degrading per- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in different water matrices, including seawater (SW) and creek water (CW), with the results compared to those obtained from control Milli-Q water (MQ). Various salts were introduced in a controlled manner to understand the influence of ionic background on the ultrasonic degradation of PFAS. Two experimental setups were employed to explore the role of water matrix and the applicability of the method to real-world scenarios. In the first setup, experiments were conducted using synthetic samples prepared by spiking SW and CW with perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA, perfluorooctane sulfonate or PFOS, 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate or 6:2 FTS, aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), and form fractionate (FF). In the second setup, PFAS-contaminated groundwater (GW) was ultrasonicated to evaluate the PFAS remediation in contaminated aquifers. The ultrasonic system achieved ∼82 % PFAS degradation removal in GW. Notably, the ultrasonic system achieved above 100 % defluorination in MQ and CW for AFFF and FF, suggesting complex degradation mechanisms and challenges in closing the mass balance. In contrast, SW showed lower defluorination (72 %/81 % for AFFF/FF), aligning with lower defluorination observed for individual PFAS in SW (2.3–56 %) compared to MQ (47–86 %) and CW (28–85 %). These results highlight the inhibitory effect of high salinity on the ultrasonic defluorination of PFAS.

Overall, the results underscore the role of water matrix composition in PFAS treatment and demonstrate the potential of ultrasonication as an effective remediation technique for PFAS across various aquatic environments.

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超声降解合成环境样品中的全氟烷基和多氟烷基物质：离子组成和水化学的影响

研究了超声波对海水（SW）和溪水（CW）等不同水基质中全氟烷基和全氟烷基物质（PFAS）的降解效果，并与对照水（MQ）的效果进行了比较。在可控的条件下引入不同的盐，了解离子背景对超声降解PFAS的影响。采用两个实验装置来探索水基质的作用以及该方法在现实场景中的适用性。在第一个设置中，使用合成样品进行了实验，合成样品由全氟辛酸或PFOA，全氟辛烷磺酸或PFOS， 6:2氟端聚物磺酸或6:2 FTS，水成膜泡沫（AFFF）和形成分馏酸（FF）组成。第二种方法是对PFAS污染地下水（GW）进行超声检测，评价PFAS对污染含水层的修复效果。超声波系统在GW中实现了~ 82%的PFAS降解去除。值得注意的是，超声波系统对AFFF和FF在MQ和CW中实现了100%以上的除氟，这表明了复杂的降解机制和关闭质量平衡的挑战。相比之下，SW的除氟率较低（AFFF/FF为72% / 81%），与MQ（47 - 86%）和CW（28 - 85%）相比，SW中单个PFAS的除氟率较低（2.3% - 56%）。这些结果突出了高盐度对PFAS超声除氟的抑制作用。总之，这些结果强调了水基质成分在PFAS处理中的作用，并证明了超声波作为一种有效的PFAS修复技术在各种水生环境中的潜力。

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来源期刊

Journal of water process engineering Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology-Biotechnology

CiteScore

10.70

自引率

8.60%

发文量

846

审稿时长

24 days

期刊介绍： The Journal of Water Process Engineering aims to publish refereed, high-quality research papers with significant novelty and impact in all areas of the engineering of water and wastewater processing . Papers on advanced and novel treatment processes and technologies are particularly welcome. The Journal considers papers in areas such as nanotechnology and biotechnology applications in water, novel oxidation and separation processes, membrane processes (except those for desalination) , catalytic processes for the removal of water contaminants, sustainable processes, water reuse and recycling, water use and wastewater minimization, integrated/hybrid technology, process modeling of water treatment and novel treatment processes. Submissions on the subject of adsorbents, including standard measurements of adsorption kinetics and equilibrium will only be considered if there is a genuine case for novelty and contribution, for example highly novel, sustainable adsorbents and their use: papers on activated carbon-type materials derived from natural matter, or surfactant-modified clays and related minerals, would not fulfil this criterion. The Journal particularly welcomes contributions involving environmentally, economically and socially sustainable technology for water treatment, including those which are energy-efficient, with minimal or no chemical consumption, and capable of water recycling and reuse that minimizes the direct disposal of wastewater to the aquatic environment. Papers that describe novel ideas for solving issues related to water quality and availability are also welcome, as are those that show the transfer of techniques from other disciplines. The Journal will consider papers dealing with processes for various water matrices including drinking water (except desalination), domestic, urban and industrial wastewaters, in addition to their residues. It is expected that the journal will be of particular relevance to chemical and process engineers working in the field. The Journal welcomes Full Text papers, Short Communications, State-of-the-Art Reviews and Letters to Editors and Case Studies