Air concentrations and particle–gas partitioning of polyfluoroalkyl compounds at a wastewater treatment plant
Lena Vierke A B , Lutz Ahrens A , Mahiba Shoeib A F , Eric J. Reiner C D , Rui Guo D C , Wolf-Ulrich Palm B , Ralf Ebinghaus E and Tom Harner A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Environment Canada, Science and Technology Branch, 4905 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON, M3H 5T4, Canada.
B Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Institute for Environmental Chemistry, Scharnhorststrasse 1, D-21335 Lüneburg, Germany.
C Ontario Ministry of the Environment, 125 Resources Road, Toronto, ON, M9P 3V6, Canada.
D University of Toronto, Department of Chemistry, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6, Canada.
E Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Institute for Coastal Research, Max-Planck Strasse, 1, D-21502 Geesthacht, Germany.
F Corresponding author. Email: mahiba.shoeib@ec.gc.ca
Environmental Chemistry 8(4) 363-371 https://doi.org/10.1071/EN10133
Submitted: 6 December 2010 Accepted: 24 January 2011 Published: 19 August 2011
Journal Compilation © CSIRO Publishing 2011 Open Access CC BY-NC-ND
Environmental context. Polyfluoroalkyl compounds, widely used chemicals in consumer and industrial products, are global pollutants in the environment. Transport mechanisms and environmental pathways of these compounds, however, are not yet fully understood. We show that a wastewater treatment plant can be an important source for polyfluoroalkyl compounds to the atmosphere where they have the potential to be transported long distances.
Abstract. An air sampling campaign was conducted at a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to investigate air concentrations and particle–gas partitioning of polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs). Samples were collected at an aeration tank and a secondary clarifier using both active high volume samplers and passive samplers comprising sorbent-impregnated polyurethane foam (SIP) disks. Water to air transport of PFCs was believed to be enhanced at the aeration tank owing to aerosol-mediated transport caused by surface turbulence induced by aeration. Mean air concentrations of target PFCs at the aeration tank were enriched relative to the secondary clarifier by factors of ~19, ~4 and ~3 for ∑fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) (11 000 v. 590 pg m–3), ∑perfluorooctane sulfonamides & perfluorooctane sulfonamidoethanols (FOSAs & FOSEs) (120 v. 30 pg m–3) and ∑perfluoroalkyl carboxylates & perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFCAs & PFSAs) (4000 v. 1300 pg m–3) respectively. The particle associated fraction in the atmosphere increased with increasing chain length for PFCAs (from 60 to 100%) and PFSAs were predominantly bound to particles (~98%). Lower fractions on particles were found for FTOHs (~3%), FOSAs (~30%) and FOSEs (~40%). The comparison of the active and passive air sampling showed good agreement.
Additional keywords: atmosphere, passive air sampler, PFC, PFOA, PFOS, WWTP.
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