The DOI matches its Crossref record; 235 of the 237 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Fate and transport of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the vadose zone
Open accessAbstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a heterogeneous group of persistent organic pollutants that have been detected in various environmental compartments around the globe. Emerging research has revealed the preferential accumulation of PFASs in shallow soil horizons, particularly at sites impacted by firefighting activities, agricultural applications, and atmospheric deposition. Once in the vadose zone, PFASs can sorb to soil, accumulate at interfaces, become volatilized, be taken up in biota, or leach to the underlying aquifer. At the same time, polyfluorinated precursor species may transform into highly recalcitrant perfluoroalkyl acids, changing their chemical identity and thus transport behavior along the way. In this review, we critically discuss the current state of the knowledge and aim to interconnect the complex processes that control the fate and transport of PFASs in the vadose zone. Furthermore, we identify key challenges and future research needs. Consequently, this review may serve as an interdisciplinary guide for the risk assessment and management of PFAS-contaminated sites.
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In the citing paper
“Briefly, PFAS and their precursors can be removed by adsorption to soil minerals, air-water interfaces, and microbial biomass or roots, translocated into plants, and degraded or transformed by soil microorganisms.”
From Perfluoroalkyl acids on suspended particles: Significant transport pathways in surface runoff, surface waters, and subsurface soils (2021) · cites this paper as Sharifan et al., 2021
In the citing paper
“Short-chain PFASs (CF2,3 < 6) are relatively more mobile and thus more susceptible to leaching compared to the longer-chain homologues.14,15”
From Sources and Pathways of PFAS Occurrence in Water Sources: Relative Contribution of Land-Applied Biosolids in an Agricultural Dominated Watershed (2025) · cites this paper as [15]
Citations
Cites
1 retracted
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Global Distribution of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate in Wildlife
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A Never-Ending Story of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs)?
Wang, Z., DeWitt, J. C., Higgins, C. P., & Cousins, I. T. (2017) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.6b04806 · Cited by 1,921
Self-citationFluorinated Surfactants and Repellents
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Research works printed but not linked: 2
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- Luo, 2018, 539, 241
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Kurwadkar, S., Dane, J., Kanel, S. R., Nadagouda, M. N., Cawdrey, R. W., Ambade, B., Struckhoff, G. C., & Wilkin, R. (2022) · Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151003 · Cited by 937
PFAS Molecules: A Major Concern for the Human Health and the Environment
Panieri, E., Baralic, K., Djukic-Cosic, D., Buha Djordjevic, A., & Saso, L. (2022) · Toxics · doi:10.3390/toxics10020044 · Cited by 651
Wang, D., Xiao, F., Xiao, F., Chen, J., Park, C. M., Park, C. M., Flury, M., & Flury, M. (2022) · Reviews of Geophysics · doi:10.1029/2021rg000765 · Cited by 294
Self-citationMenger, R. F., Funk, E., Henry, C. S., & Borch, T. (2021) · Chemical Engineering Journal · doi:10.1016/j.cej.2021.129133 · Cited by 224
Updated review on emerging technologies for PFAS contaminated water treatment
Yadav, S., Ibrar, I., Al-Juboori, R. A., Singh, L., Ganbat, N., Kazwini, T., Karbassiyazdi, E., Samal, A. K., Subbiah, S., & Altaee, A. (2022) · Process Safety and Environmental Protection · doi:10.1016/j.cherd.2022.04.009 · Cited by 184
Metadata
- Authors
- Sharifan, H., Bagheri, M., Wang, D., Burken, J. G., Higgins, C. P., Liang, Y., Liu, J., Schaefer, C. E., & Blotevogel, J.
- Affiliations
- Colorado State University (US)
- Missouri University of Science and Technology (US)
- McGill University (CA)
- Colorado School of Mines (US)
- University at Albany, State University of New York (US)
- CDM Smith (United States) (US)
- Corresponding author
- Blotevogel, Jens
- ORCID
- Venue
- Science of The Total Environment
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2021-06
- Volume
- 771
- Pages
- 145427
- ISSN
- 0048-9697 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3124974648
- Cited by
- 180
- References
- 237
- Citations by year
- 2026: 34 · 2025: 39 · 2024: 38 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 15
- FWCI
- 1.98
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
- www.elsevier.com/legal/tdmrep-license (tdm)
- www.elsevier.com/open-access/userlicense/1.0/ (am, 249 d)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-017 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-037 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-012 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-029 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-004 (stm-asf)
- Locations
- The Science of The Total Environment (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- National Science Foundation
- Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program
- University at Albany
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
- Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Organic Chemistry › Fluorine in Organic Chemistry
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pesticide and Herbicide Environmental Studies
- Keywords
- per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS fate and transport, vadose zone, soil sorption, volatilization, perfluoroalkyl acids, atmospheric deposition
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