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Download Hi-Res ImageDownload to MS-PowerPointCite This:Environ. Sci. Technol. 2021, 55, 5, 3283-3295
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Hydrothermal Alkaline Treatment for Destruction of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Aqueous Film-Forming Foam

  • Shilai Hao
    Shilai Hao
    Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
    More by Shilai Hao
    Orcidhttp://orcid.org/0000-0002-9495-1661
    • , 
  • Youn-Jeong Choi
    Youn-Jeong Choi
    Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
    More by Youn-Jeong Choi
    Orcidhttp://orcid.org/0000-0003-2470-8129
    • , 
  • Boran Wu
    Boran Wu
    Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
    State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
    More by Boran Wu
    • , 
  • Christopher P. Higgins
    Christopher P. Higgins
    Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
    More by Christopher P. Higgins
    Orcidhttp://orcid.org/0000-0001-6220-8673
    • , 
  • Rula Deeb
    Rula Deeb
    Geosyntec Consultants, Oakland, California 94607, United States
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    • , and 
  • Timothy J. Strathmann*
    Timothy J. Strathmann
    Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
    *Email: [email protected]. Phone: (303)-384-2226.
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    Orcidhttp://orcid.org/0000-0002-7299-3115
Cite this: Environ. Sci. Technol. 2021, 55, 5, 3283–3295
Publication Date (Web):February 8, 2021
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c06906
Copyright © 2021 American Chemical Society
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Abstract

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The widespread use of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) for firefighting activities (e.g., fire training to extinguish fuel-based fires at aircraft facilities) has led to extensive groundwater and soil contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) that are highly recalcitrant to destruction using conventional treatment technologies. This study reports on the hydrothermal alkaline treatment of diverse PFASs present in AFFFs. Quantitative and semiquantitative high-resolution mass spectrometry analyses of PFASs demonstrate a rapid degradation of all 109 PFASs identified in two AFFFs (sulfonate- and fluorotelomer-based formulations) in water amended with an alkali (e.g., 1–5 M NaOH) at near-critical temperature and pressure (350 °C, 16.5 MPa). This includes per- and polyfluoroalkyl acids and a range of acid precursors. Most PFASs were degraded to nondetectable levels within 15 min, and the most recalcitrant perfluoroalkyl sulfonates were degraded within 30 min when treated with 5 M NaOH. 19F NMR spectroscopic analysis and fluoride ion analysis confirm the near-complete defluorination of PFASs in both dilute and concentrated AFFF mixtures, and no stable volatile organofluorine species were detected in reactor headspace gases by the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis. These findings indicate a significant potential for application of hydrothermal treatment technologies to manage PFAS waste streams, including on-site treatment of unused AFFF chemical stockpiles, investigation-derived wastes, and concentrated source zone materials.

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The Supporting Information is available free of charge at https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.0c06906.

  • Chemical reagents; targeted PFAS analytes and internal standards; fluoride measurement comparison between the IC and the fluoride ion-selective electrode; reactors and heat source used for hydrothermal reactions; reaction time courses observed for targeted PFASs detected in AFFF #1; bubble plots summarizing the removal of PFASs; degradation time courses for individual PFASs in AFFF #1 and AFFF #2; and GC-TCD and GC-MS analyses of reactor headspace gases (PDF)

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Cited By

This article is cited by 39 publications.

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