Sequestration of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by adsorption: Surfactant and surface aspects

Per- and polyfluoro alkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic compounds composed of a fully or partially fluorinated carbon chain. Fluorinated surfactants are a major PFAS subgroup. Their widespread use has resulted in their release into the environment and accumulation in water. The sequestration of PFAS from aqueous solution by adsorption is a pressing and challenging environmental pollution problem which necessitates surface and colloid science to offer solutions for the benefit of a sustainable future. In this review, we first provide an overview of the aqueous solution and self-assembly properties of common PFAS surfactants. Next, we discuss physical adsorption of PFAS surfactants, which is the first step used to concentrate PFAS prior to their subsequent proper disposal or destruction, with a focus on “natural” materials such as activated carbon and biopolymers, and on surfactant/surface/colloid aspects. In closing, we offer some perspective on gaps in fundamental knowledge and future research directions.     

Accuracy and precision in the determination of perfluorinated chemicals in human blood verified by interlaboratory comparisons

Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) are analyzed in laboratories worldwide to determine human blood levels and exposure pathways. The development of the analytical technique has been rapid in the last 10 years, and prerequisites for accurate and precise determination of PFCs in human blood at low ng/g concentrations are today readily available. The main contributing factors are the improved LC–MS instrumentations, the increased availability of native and mass labeled PFC standards, and new column materials available for chromatographic separations. The results of the first international interlaboratory study (ILS) in 2005 on PFCs revealed relatively better analytical results for human blood analyses when compared to analyses of a number of environmental matrices. The representative accuracy for the analyses of PFCs in human matrixes reported in recent years was established in the second human serum ILS in 2006. Interlaboratory standard deviations for the two human serum samples one low level concentration and one medium level concentration were found to be 12% and 16% for PFOS, respectively, and 47% and 21% for PFOA, respectively. Reported detections for all PFCs followed a frequency of PFOS > PFOA > PFHxS > PFNA > PFDA ? PFDoA ? PFDS ? PFHxA. Due to the small number of reported values for the other perfluorosulfonates and perfluorocarboxylates, standard deviations were not established.     

全氟辛酸(PFOA)紫外光化学降解特性与机理

全氟辛酸(PFOA)因其在环境介质中的稳定性、持久性和生物累积性,常规方法很难将其降解,或必须付出昂贵的代价.近几年,一些研究者利用紫外光化学降解环境介质中的PFOA,显示出了优良的应用前景.本文结合国内外研究者近年来的工作,介绍了紫外光化学降解PFOA的原理与特性,对各体系中关键介质的作用与机理进行了讨论,针对紫外光化学降解PFOA存在的问题提出了见解,并对该领域研究的趋势进行了展望.     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测定皮革中全氟辛烷磺酸和全氟辛酸

样品经甲醇索式提取180 min及复合式弱阴离子交换固相萃取柱富集,用氨水-甲醇(1+99)溶液从柱上洗脱PFOS和PFOA使净化。洗脱液在45℃氮气吹干,残渣用流动相乙腈-5 mmol.L-1乙酸胺(42+58)混合溶液溶解定容至5 mL,取10μL注入超高效液相色谱仪。以不同体积比的乙腈与5 mmol.L-1乙酸铵的混合溶液为流动相作梯度淋洗,经C18色谱柱(100 mm×2.1 mm,5μm)分离。采用电喷雾负离子源及多反应监测模式测定。PFOS和PFOA的质量浓度均在40.0μg.L-1以内呈线性关系,检出限(3S/N)均为1μg.L-1。在3个标准加入水平下进行了回收率和精密度试验,PFOS和PFOA的加标回收率分别在90.0%～99.4%和91.6%～104.0%之间,相对标准偏差(n=6)均不大于13%。     

Determination of perfluorooctanesulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid in sewage sludge samples using liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A new method is developed for the determination of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in sewage sludge samples. The analytes in sewage sludge samples are extracted by methanol and formic acid, cleaned by C18 solid-phase extraction, then separated, identified and quantitated by liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC–QTOF-MS). A C18 column (150 mm × 2.1 mm, 3.5 μm) with gradient elution of MeOH–H₂O (60:40) containing 5 mmol/L ammonium acetate and MeOH–H₂O (80:20) is used for the chromatographic separation. [M−K]⁻ ions at m/z 498.93 for PFOS and [M−COOH]⁻ ion at m/z 368.97 for PFOA are selected for QTOF-MS in the negative electrospray ionization mode. The detection limits for PFOS and PFOA in sewage sludge samples are 0.5 and 0.8 ng/g, respectively. The spiked recoveries are in the range of 85–114 and 71–98% for PFOS and PFOA, respectively. The proposed method is successfully applied to the analysis of PFOS and PFOA in 16 sewage sludge samples from China. PFOS and PFOA are detected in most sewage sludge samples and the concentrations of PFOS and PFOA are up to 5383 and 4780 ng/g (oven dry weight), respectively.     

Ion-pair sorptive extraction of perfluorinated compounds from water with low-cost polymeric materials: Polyethersulfone vs polydimethylsiloxane

A method for the determination of seven perfluorinated carboxylic acids and perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) in aqueous samples using low-cost polymeric sorptive extraction as sample preparation technique, followed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) determination has been developed and validated. Simplicity of the analytical procedure, low volume of solvent and sample required, low global price and a good selectivity providing cleaner extracts are the main advantages of this extraction technique. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polyethersulfone (PES) materials were evaluated and compared to achieve the best extraction efficiencies. Hence, different variables have been optimized, viz.: sample pH, concentration of an ion-pairing agent (tetrabutylammonium), ionic strength, sample volume, extraction time, desorption solvent volume, desorption time and the need for auxiliary desorption techniques (sonication). Overall, PES leaded to a better sensitivity than PDMS, particularly for the most polar compounds, reaching detection limits (LODs) in the 0.2–20 ng L⁻¹ range. The precision of the method, expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD), was lower than 16%. Finally, the PES material was employed for the analysis of sea, sewage and fresh water samples. Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) were detected in all the analyzed influent samples reaching levels of up to 401 ng L⁻¹. In surface water, perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) exhibited the highest concentrations, up to 137 ng L⁻¹.     

全氟羧酸盐海洋微表层富集与影响因素分析

通过环境调查和表面张力测定实验,观察了全氟辛酸盐（PFOA）和全氟寅酸盐（PFNA）在海洋微表层中的富集现象,探讨了污染物浓度、温度、盐度等热力学因素对PFOA海水表面富集的影响趋势．利用钢丝网法采集的黄海北部开阔海域微表层中（厚约200μm）,PFOA和PFNA的浓度分别为1．92～17．66ng／L和0．40～9．30ng／L,几何均值为4-27和1．38ng／L;微表层富集系数的几何均值为2．5（1．0～17）和8．2（2．1-42）．微表层中PFNA与PFOA浓度比值几何均值为0．33,显著不同于次表层海水中的组成比例（0．10）．海洋表层水温度和盐度是影响全氟表面活性剂微表层富集状态的主要热力学因素．温度增高时,微表层富集系数随之降低;盐度增加时,富集系数随之增加．