An advanced biological system for per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) removal from landfill leachate

IF 6.7 2区工程技术 Q1 ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL

Journal of water process engineering Pub Date : 2025-09-15 DOI:10.1016/j.jwpe.2025.108740

Marco De Sanctis , Sofiane El Barkaoui , Subhoshmita Mondal , Sapia Murgolo , Michele Pellegrino , Edoardo Slavik , Giuseppe Mascolo , Claudio Di Iaconi

{"title":"An advanced biological system for per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) removal from landfill leachate","authors":"Marco De Sanctis , Sofiane El Barkaoui , Subhoshmita Mondal , Sapia Murgolo , Michele Pellegrino , Edoardo Slavik , Giuseppe Mascolo , Claudio Di Iaconi","doi":"10.1016/j.jwpe.2025.108740","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The present study investigated a Sequencing Batch Biofilter Granular Reactor (SBBGR) for treating four landfill leachate stocks with varying <em>per</em>- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) concentrations. The SBBGR, characterized by a very long sludge retention time, effectively removed conventional pollutants: 5 days-biochemical oxygen demand (99.93 %–100 %), total nitrogen (44 %–88 %), ammonia (64 %–99.8 %), and total/volatile suspended solids (70–96 % and 75–95 % respectively). However, chemical oxygen demand removal was moderate due to the high content of biorefractory compounds in all leachate stocks. The analysis showed that total PFAS₁₂ concentration, calculated as the sum of concentrations of the 12 analysed PFAS, varied across the four leachate stocks, with stock 4 having the highest concentration (about 5.5 mg L<sup>−1</sup>). The removal efficiency of total PFAS₁₂ significantly improved over the course of SBBGR operation, increasing from 32 % to 94 % when treating stock 4. This improvement was attributed to continuous microbial consortium selection and increased biomass age. A notable strength of the SBBGR was its efficacy in removing long-chain PFASs, which exhibit greater hydrophobicity and a higher tendency for bioaccumulation compared to short-chain PFASs, which are more water-soluble. The SBBGR system offers a promising approach for PFASs removal due to its effective microbial consortium, high salinity resistance, and potential cost-effectiveness.</div></div><div><h3>Environmental implication</h3><div>PFASs have great relevance in the context of the urban integrated water cycle since they are compounds present in many daily uses in the civil and industrial fields. An important source of PFAS release into the environment is through the leachates, usually disposed at municipal wastewater treatment plants, which are not designed to remove PFAS. The system proposed and tested in the present study offers a promising approach for PFASs removal due to its effective microbial consortium, thereby reducing PFAS release into the environment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17528,"journal":{"name":"Journal of water process engineering","volume":"78 ","pages":"Article 108740"},"PeriodicalIF":6.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of water process engineering","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214714425018136","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

The present study investigated a Sequencing Batch Biofilter Granular Reactor (SBBGR) for treating four landfill leachate stocks with varying per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) concentrations. The SBBGR, characterized by a very long sludge retention time, effectively removed conventional pollutants: 5 days-biochemical oxygen demand (99.93 %–100 %), total nitrogen (44 %–88 %), ammonia (64 %–99.8 %), and total/volatile suspended solids (70–96 % and 75–95 % respectively). However, chemical oxygen demand removal was moderate due to the high content of biorefractory compounds in all leachate stocks. The analysis showed that total PFAS₁₂ concentration, calculated as the sum of concentrations of the 12 analysed PFAS, varied across the four leachate stocks, with stock 4 having the highest concentration (about 5.5 mg L⁻¹). The removal efficiency of total PFAS₁₂ significantly improved over the course of SBBGR operation, increasing from 32 % to 94 % when treating stock 4. This improvement was attributed to continuous microbial consortium selection and increased biomass age. A notable strength of the SBBGR was its efficacy in removing long-chain PFASs, which exhibit greater hydrophobicity and a higher tendency for bioaccumulation compared to short-chain PFASs, which are more water-soluble. The SBBGR system offers a promising approach for PFASs removal due to its effective microbial consortium, high salinity resistance, and potential cost-effectiveness.

Environmental implication

PFASs have great relevance in the context of the urban integrated water cycle since they are compounds present in many daily uses in the civil and industrial fields. An important source of PFAS release into the environment is through the leachates, usually disposed at municipal wastewater treatment plants, which are not designed to remove PFAS. The system proposed and tested in the present study offers a promising approach for PFASs removal due to its effective microbial consortium, thereby reducing PFAS release into the environment.

Abstract Image

查看原文本刊更多论文

从垃圾渗滤液中去除全氟和多氟烷基物质（PFASs）的先进生物系统

本研究采用序批式生物过滤颗粒反应器（SBBGR）处理四种含不同浓度单氟烷基和多氟烷基物质（PFAS）的垃圾渗滤液。SBBGR的特点是污泥滞留时间很长，有效去除常规污染物：5天生化需氧量（99.93% - 100%）、总氮（44% - 88%）、氨（64% - 99.8%）和总/挥发性悬浮固体（70 - 96%和75 - 95%）。然而，由于所有渗滤液中生物难降解化合物含量高，化学需氧量去除适中。分析表明，以所分析的12种PFAS的浓度总和计算的总PFAS 1₂浓度在四种渗滤液中有所不同，其中第4种渗滤液的浓度最高（约5.5 mg L - 1）。在SBBGR运行过程中，总PFAS₁₂的去除率显著提高，处理4号料时从32%提高到94%。这种改善归因于持续的微生物联合体选择和生物量年龄的增加。SBBGR的一个显著优势是其去除长链PFASs的效果，与水溶性较强的短链PFASs相比，长链PFASs具有更强的疏水性和更高的生物积累倾向。SBBGR系统由于其有效的微生物组合、高耐盐性和潜在的成本效益，为去除PFASs提供了一种很有前景的方法。全氟辛烷磺酸在城市综合水循环中具有重要的环境意义，因为它们是民用和工业领域中许多日常使用的化合物。PFAS释放到环境中的一个重要来源是渗滤液，这些渗滤液通常在城市污水处理厂处理，而这些处理厂并不是为了去除PFAS而设计的。本研究中提出和测试的系统由于其有效的微生物联合体，从而减少PFAS释放到环境中，为去除PFAS提供了一种有前途的方法。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

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