Evaluation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) released from two Florida landfills based on mass balance analyses
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been found at high levels within landfill environments. To assess PFAS distributions, this study aimed to evaluate PFAS mass flux leached from disposed solid waste and within landfill reservoirs by mass balance analyses for two full-scale operational Florida landfills. PFAS mass flux in different aqueous components within landfills were estimated based on PFAS concentrations and water flow rates. For PFAS concentration, 26 PFAS, including 18 perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) and 8 PFAA-precursors, were measured in samples collected from the landfills or estimated based on previous studies. Flow rates of aqueous components (rainfall, evapotranspiration, runoff, stormwater, groundwater, leakage, gas condensate, and leachate) were evaluated through the Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance model, water balance, and Darcy's Law. Results showed that the average PFAS mass flux leached from the solid waste standardized by area was estimated as 36.8 g/ha-yr, which was approximately 1 % to 3 % of the total amount of PFAS within the solid waste. The majority of PFAS leached from the solid waste (95 % to 97 %) is captured by the leachate collection system, with other aqueous components representing much smaller fractions (stormwater system at 3 % to 5 %, and gas condensate and groundwater at < 1 %). Also, based on the results, we estimate that PFAS releases will likely occur at least over 40 years. Overall, these results can help prioritize components for waste management and PFAS treatment during the anticipated landfill release periods.
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PFAS concentrations in landfill leachates and gas condensates were higher than in stormwater and groundwater in previous Florida studies.
“Results show that PFAS concentrations in the landfill leachates and gas condensates were higher than that in the stormwater and groundwater.”
From Evaluation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in landfill liquids from Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Wisconsin (2024) · cites this paper as Chen et al., 2024
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- Authors
- Chen, Y., Zhang, H., Liu, Y., Bowden, J. A., Townsend, T. G., & Solo-Gabriele, H. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Miami (US)
- Florida Atlantic University (US)
- University of Florida (US)
- Venue
- Waste Management
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2024-03
- Volume
- 175
- Pages
- 348-359
- ISSN
- 0956-053X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4391145175
- Semantic Scholar
- ee8fa3fcfe38bc336e334e3516ff4a284127577a
- Cited by
- 15
- References
- 17
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3
- FWCI
- 1.98
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Waste Management (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Waste Management and Disposal › Landfill Environmental Impact Studies
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Waste Management and Disposal › Municipal Solid Waste Management
- Keywords
- per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS leaching, landfill leachate, perfluoroalkyl acids, groundwater contamination, landfill waste management
- MeSH terms
- Florida, Fluorocarbons, Water, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Solid Waste, Waste Disposal Facilities
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