Distribution and fate of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in wastewater treatment facilities

Abstract

Anthropogenic compounds known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) represent a major class of contaminants of emerging concern composed of nearly 5000 chemicals. Many PFAS are persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic,...

Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants in the United States: Seasonal Patterns and Meta-Analysis of Long-Term Trends and Average Concentrations

“…Higher summer temperatures have been shown to increase the removal of acesulfame and pharmaceuticals . Tavasoli et al found higher total measured PFAS concentrations in July than in March …”

“…On the basis of this scope, aqueous data were analyzed from 20 peer-reviewed articles, ,,,,− ,− ,− one Water Research Foundation (WRF) technical report, one 3M report, and one state government report . Original data were also included for six WWTPs managed by a single utility in Virginia.…”

“…However, because PFOS and PFOA were gradually phased out by different producers from 2002 to 2015, these two studies may have occurred too soon to observe any resulting changes in PFAS in biosolids. , Houtz et al found two short-chain PFAS, perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), increased in the effluent of WWTPs in the San Francisco Bay Area between 2009 and 2014, but the sample size was limited ( n = 6) . Arvaniti and Stasinakis thoroughly reviewed occurrence studies for PFAS in wastewater and biosolids in 2015, but new data have emerged in the six years since. ,,− …”

The Fate and Transport of Chlorinated Polyfluorinated Ether Sulfonates and Other PFAS through Industrial Wastewater Treatment Facilities in China

“…Different industrial wastewaters often have special emission inventories covering both legacy and alternative PFAS. PFAS concentrations from these different sources could vary temporally and spatially during individual wastewater treatment processes, depending on the physiochemical properties of the different PFAS present as well as their sensitivity to different treatment techniques. , Though industrial WWTPs directly receive PFAS containing wastewaters, water treatment facilities are rarely designed for PFAS removal . WWTP effluents and sludge are considered active sources for the environmental release of both legacy and alternative PFAS .…”

The fate and removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products within wastewater treatment facilities discharging to the Great Bay Estuary

“…Beyond regulated wastewater contaminants, little data are publicly available assessing emerging contaminants derived from wastewaters discharging to the GBE and their downstream impacts. Perfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) has been as stressor of interest in the region, with state data available and recent publications from our team assessing PFAS in wastewater, biosolids, and GBE surface waters (NHDES OneStop Database, n. d.; Adams et al, 2021;Tavasoli et al, 2021). Considering the potential individual and synergistic impacts of lowlevel PPCP concentrations on aquatic organisms (Di Poi et al, 2013;Meador et al, 2018), it is important to quantify PPCPs and other emerging contaminants in the estuary and their primary wastewater source.…”