Identification of novel polyfluorinated ether sulfonates as PFOS alternatives in municipal sewage sludge in China
Open accessAbstract
A 6:2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate (6:2 Cl-PFAES) with the trade name F-53B, is an alternative to perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) in electroplating industry that is uniquely used in China. It was developed as a mist suppressant initially in the 1970s, but the environmental behaviors and potential adverse effects of the 6:2 Cl-PFAES have only recently been investigated. In this work, the occurrence and distribution of perfluoroalkyl sulfonate (PFSA), fluorotelomer sulfonate (FTSA), and PFAES analogues were investigated in municipal sewage sludge samples collected around China. Perfluorobutane, perfluorohexane, perfluorooctane, and perfluorodecanesulfonates, 6:2 and 8:2 FTSAs, and the emerging 6:2 Cl-PFAES were detected. Moreover, 8:2 and 10:2 Cl-PFAESs were identified for the first time as new polyfluorinated contaminants using high resolution mass spectrometry. These fluorinated analytes were further quantified with the aid of commercial and laboratory-purified standards. PFOS was the predominant contaminant with a geometric mean (GM) value of 3.19 ng/g dry weight (d.w.), which was subsequently followed by 6:2 Cl-PFAES and 8:2 Cl-PFAES (GM: 2.15 and 0.50 ng/g d.w., respectively). Both 6:2 and 8:2 Cl-PFAES were positively detected as the major components in the F-53B commercial product, and discrete 6:2 Cl-PFAES/8:2 Cl-PFAES ratios in the product and sludge samples might suggest 8:2 Cl-PFAES had enhanced sorption behavior in the sludge due to the increase in hydrophobicity.
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6:2 Cl-PFESA and 8:2 Cl-PFESA have been demonstrated as the major components of the commercial product F-53B after purification, with a reported 6:2 Cl-PFESA content of 77.6% and 8:2 Cl-PFESA comprising an unreported percentage of the remaining fraction.
“These compounds have been demonstrated as the major components of the commercial product F–53B after purification, with a reported 6:2 Cl-PFESA content of 77.6% and 8:2 Cl-PFESA comprising an unreported percentage of the remaining fraction [19].”
From An investigation into per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in nineteen Australian wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) (2019) · cites this paper as [19]
F-53B is used as a PFOS alternative for mist suppression in metal plating applications used in China and has recently been detected in Chinese WWTPs and the environment.
“F–53B is used as a PFOS alternative for mist suppression in metal plating applications used in China that has recently been detected in Chinese WWTPs and the environment [19, 24, 25].”
From An investigation into per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in nineteen Australian wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) (2019) · cites this paper as [19]
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- Authors
- Ruan, T., Lin, Y., Wang, T., Liu, R., & Jiang, G.
- Affiliations
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Örebro University (SE)
- Corresponding author
- Jiang, Guibin
- Venue
- Environmental Science & Technology
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2015-05-21
- Volume
- 49
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 6519-6527
- ISSN
- 0013-936X (ISSN-L)
- 1520-5851
- OpenAlex
- W261228946
- Cited by
- 291
- References
- 37
- Citations by year
- 2026: 38 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 33 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 3
- FWCI
- 15.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- ir.rcees.ac.cn
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-sa
- Locations
- Environmental Science & Technology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences OpenIR (Chinese Academy of Sciences) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- Funders
- Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China (2015CB453102)
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (21207140, 21361140359)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB14010400)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmaceutical Science › Fluorine in Organic Chemistry
- Keywords
- PFOS alternatives, F-53B, fluorotelomer sulfonates, PFOS, sewage sludge, electroplating industry, sorption behavior, hydrophobicity
- MeSH terms
- China, Cities, Environment, Ether, Fluorocarbons, Sewage, Time Factors, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Alkanesulfonic Acids, Statistics, Nonparametric
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