Comprehensive retention model for PFAS transport in subsurface systems
Open accessAbstract
A comprehensive compartment model is presented for PFAS retention that incorporates all potential processes relevant for transport in source zones. Miscible-displacement experiments were conducted to investigate separately the impact of adsorption at the air-water and decane-water interfaces on PFAS retention and transport. Two porous media were used, a quartz sand and a soil, and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) was used as the model PFAS. The breakthrough curves for transport under water-unsaturated conditions were shifted noticeably rightward (delayed arrival) compared to the breakthrough curves for saturated conditions, indicating greater retardation due to adsorption at the air-water or decane-water interface. The retardation factor was 7 for PFOS transport in the sand for the air-water system, compared to 1.8 for saturated conditions. PFOS retardation factors for transport in the soil were 7.3 and 3.6 for unsaturated (air-water) vs saturated conditions. Air-water interfacial adsorption is a significant source of retention for PFOS in these two systems, contributing more than 80% of total retention for the sand and 32% for the soil. For the experiments conducted with decane residual emplaced within the sand, adsorption at the decane-water interface contributed more than 70% to total retention for PFOS transport. Methods to determine or estimate key distribution variables are presented for parameterization of the model. Predicted retardation factors were similar to the measured values, indicating that the conceptual model provided adequate representation of the relevant retention processes and that the parameter estimation methods produced reasonable values. The results of this work indicate that adsorption by fluid-fluid interfaces in variably saturated porous media can be a significant retention process for PFAS that should be considered when characterizing their transport and fate behavior in source zones.
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PFAS sorption mechanisms are influenced by PFAS chain length and solution chemistry (ionic strength, cation valence, pH).
“All the above sorption mechanisms were also found to be influenced by the PFAS chain length (e.g., Campos-Pereira et al., 2018) and solution chemistry, especially the ionic strength, the valence of cations and the pH (Tang et al., 2010;Brusseau and Van Glubt, 2019;Cai et al., 2022;Lyu and Brusseau, 2020)”
From Model-based identification of vadose zone controls on PFAS mobility under semi-arid climate conditions (2022) · cites this paper as Brusseau and Van Glubt, 2019
The Conclusion (page not provided) says PFAS retention varies with compound properties, including chain length, and that ionic composition influences adsorption coefficients. The paper does not establish the claimed effects of pH or cation valence specifically; its Materials section lists those solution characteristics but does not test their effects. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredPFOS retardation is doubled in water-unsaturated soils compared to saturated soils due to air-water interfacial adsorption.
“For instance, Brusseau et al. (2019) found a doubling of PFOS retardation in water-unsaturated soils compared to saturated soils due to air-water interfacial adsorption.”
From Model-based identification of vadose zone controls on PFAS mobility under semi-arid climate conditions (2022) · cites this paper as Brusseau et al. (2019)
Characterizing regional contamination patterns due to diffuse PFAS emissions and important hydrogeological features can help identify major sources and model PFAS transport.
“Characterizing regional contamination patterns due to diffuse PFAS emissions and important hydrogeological features can help identify major sources (Silver et al., 2023; Zhang et al., 2016) and model PFAS transport (Brusseau et al., 2019).”
From PFAS in Iowa drinking water sources: Chemical and geospatial patterns (2025) · cites this paper as Brusseau et al., 2019
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- Authors
- Brusseau, M. L., Yan, N., Van Glubt, S., Wang, Y., Chen, W., Lyu, Y., Dungan, B., Carroll, K. C., & Holguin, F. O.
- Affiliations
- University of Arizona (US)
- New Mexico State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Brusseau, Mark L.
- Venue
- Water Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2019-01
- Volume
- 148
- Pages
- 41-50
- ISSN
- 0043-1354 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6294326
- OpenAlex
- W2897457583
- Cited by
- 232
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 32 · 2025: 29 · 2024: 34 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 37 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 9.34
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Water Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (P42 ES04940)
- Kansas NSF EPSCoR (IIA-1301346)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Groundwater flow and contamination studies
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Civil and Structural Engineering › Soil and Unsaturated Flow
- Keywords
- PFAS transport, PFOS, source zone, air-water interface adsorption, interfacial adsorption, retention factor, unsaturated porous media, variably saturated media, miscible displacement, breakthrough curves, compartmental model, parameter estimation, soil contamination, groundwater contamination
- MeSH terms
- Adsorption, Fluorocarbons, Silicon Dioxide, Water, Porosity
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