Adsorption of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in groundwater by granular activated carbons: Roles of hydrophobicity of PFAS and carbon characteristics
Abstract
The adsorption breakthrough behavior of nine perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in groundwaters by four bituminous coal-based granular activated carbons (F400, Carbsorb 40, HPC and CMR400) was studied using rapid small-scale column tests (RSSCTs). The half breakthrough bed volume (BV 50 ), an indicator of apparent adsorption capacity, correlated with the hydrophobicity of PFAS at a given pH (i.e., Log D ow ) for F400, indicating that hydrophobic interaction is important for apparent adsorption capacity of PFAS in groundwater with low dissolved organic concentrations (DOC 254 -1 m -1 ). Higher empty bed contact time (EBCT) caused steeper PFAS breakthrough curves with respect to throughput, but did not affect apparent adsorption capacity. Three different sizes of F400 (0.13, 0.17, and 0.20 mm) exhibited similar breakthrough profiles of PFAS, indicating that the intraparticle diffusivity was independent of adsorbent diameter in the given conditions. Among the tested carbons, the positively charged adsorbents (F400, HPC, and CMR400) showed higher apparent adsorption capacities for hydrophilic (Log D ow at pH 7 ow at pH 7 between 0 and 1) than the negatively charged adsorbent (Carbsorb 40). In addition, activated carbons with higher micropore surface areas exhibited higher apparent adsorption capacities of hydrophilic and marginally hydrophobic PFAS among the positively-charged activated carbons, whereas the mesoporous carbon (HPC) exhibited an increasingly larger adsorption capacit…
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Calgon F400 is a GAC that adsorbs PFAS via hydrophobic interactions.
“Calgon F400 is a GAC that adsorbs PFAS via hydrophobic interactions,35 while RemBind™ is a GAC blended with kaolite clay, which has a net positive charge that gives RemBind™ anion exchange capacity, and thus the capability to retain PFAS via hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions.23”
From Evaluation of sorbents and matrix effects for treating heavy metals and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances as co-contaminants in stormwater (2023) · cites this paper as [35]
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- Authors
- Park, M., Wu, S., Lopez, I. J., Chang, J. Y., Karanfil, T., & Snyder, S. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Arizona (US)
- Clemson University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Park, Minkyu
- Snyder, Shane A.
- Venue
- Water Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-03
- Volume
- 170
- Pages
- 115364
- ISSN
- 0043-1354 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2994162989
- Cited by
- 549
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 118 · 2025: 115 · 2024: 114 · 2023: 70 · 2022: 64 · 2021: 50 · 2020: 18
- FWCI
- 14.37
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Water Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DR-NTU (Nanyang Technological University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Environmental remediation with nanomaterials
- Keywords
- perfluorinated compounds, PFAS adsorption, groundwater remediation, granular activated carbon, hydrophobicity, octanol-water partition coefficient, adsorption capacity, micropore surface area, mesoporous carbon, pore blocking, intraparticle diffusion, dissolved organic carbon, specific UV absorbance, breakthrough curves
- MeSH terms
- Adsorption, Charcoal, Fluorocarbons, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Water Purification, Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions, Groundwater
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