Sorption of perfluoroalkylated substances (PFASs) onto granular activated carbon and biochar
Abstract
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have attracted increasing concerns owing to their potential ecotoxicological effects. The sorption of PFASs, i.e. perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) and perfluorobutansulfonic acid (PFBS), by granular activated carbon (GAC) and softwood-derived biochar was studied. The sorption equilibrium of PFASs on GAC was obtained within 3-24 h, while the time required to reach equilibrium for biochar was 12-48 h. PFASs sorption on both GAC and biochar were well represented by the pseudo-second-order model. In the case of sorption isotherms, the PFAS sorption capacity was chain-length dependent with following order: PFOS > PFOA > PFBS > PFBA. GAC exhibited high maximum Langmuir sorption capacity for both PFOS (123.5 µmol g -1 ) and PFOA (86.2 µmol g -1 ), which were 43% and 39.6% greater than biochar. The maximum sorption capacity for PFBS on GAC (48.3 µmol g -1 ) was higher than that for PFBA (31.4 µmol g -1 ), while the opposite sorption trend was observed for biochar. The sorption mechanisms involved both electrostatic attraction and hydrophobic interaction. The sorption of PFASs increased with the decrease in pH. The competitive sorption of PFASs occurred during the sorption process, resulting in decreased PFASs removal efficiencies. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyses indicated the presence of a variety of functional groups on the surfaces of adsorbents. So…
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Previous batch studies observed that equilibrium times between PFAS and some soils/sorbents may be as long as 3 weeks.
“Previous batch studies observed that equilibrium times between PFAS and some soils/sorbents may be as long as 3 weeks.25,26”
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 [26]
Previous studies have reported mixed results with GAC and biochar, with some reporting more effective removal of PFOA and PFOS by GAC than biochar, particularly in the presence of organic matter, while others report biochar performing as well or better than GAC.
“Previous studies have reported mixed results with GAC and biochar with some studies reporting more effective removal of PFOA and PFOS by GAC than biochar,26 particularly in the presence of organic matter,32 while others report biochar performing as well or better than GAC.25”
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 [26]
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- Authors
- Zhang, D., He, Q., Wang, M., Zhang, W., & Liang, Y.
- Affiliations
- University at Albany, State University of New York (US)
- Henan University of Technology (CN)
- Guangzhou University (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Zhang, Dongqing
- Venue
- Environmental Technology
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2019-10-30
- Volume
- 42
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 1798-1809
- ISSN
- 0959-3330 (ISSN-L)
- 1479-487X
- OpenAlex
- W2981038035
- Cited by
- 164
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 24 · 2025: 42 · 2024: 38 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 4
- FWCI
- 3.16
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Environmental Technology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- 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
- per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS sorption, granular activated carbon, biochar, perfluorooctanoic acid, PFOS, perfluorobutanoic acid, PFBS, chain length dependence, Langmuir isotherm, pseudo-second-order kinetics, competitive adsorption, pH effect on sorption, electrostatic attraction, hydrophobic interactions, wastewater treatment, adsorption
- MeSH terms
- Adsorption, Charcoal, Fluorocarbons, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Alkanesulfonic Acids
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