Files
Document type
ArticleVersion
Accepted versionPublication date
All rights reserved
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/108082
Sorption of perfluoroalkyl substances in sewage sludge
Journal Title
Director/Tutor
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Related resource
Abstract
The sorption behaviour of three perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)) was studied in sewage sludge samples. Sorption isotherms were obtained by varying initial concentrations of PFOS, PFOA and PFBS. The maximum values of the sorption solid-liquid distribution coefficients (Kd,max) varied by almost two orders of magnitude among the target PFASs: 140-281 mL g−1 for PFOS, 30-54 mL g−1 for PFOA and 9-18 mL g−1 for PFBS. Freundlich and linear fittings were appropriate for describing the sorption behaviour of PFASs in the sludge samples, and the derived KF and Kd,linear parameters correlated well. The hydrophobicity of the PFASs was the key parameter that influenced their sorption in sewage sludge. Sorption parameters and log(KOW) were correlated, and for PFOS (the most hydrophobic compound), pH and Ca + Mg status of the sludge controlled the variation in the sorption parameter values. Sorption reversibility was also tested from desorption isotherms, which were also linear. Desorption parameters were systematically higher than the corresponding sorption parameters (up to sixfold higher), thus indicating a significant degree of irreversible sorption, which decreased in the sequence PFOS > PFOA > PFBS
Subject (English)
Citation
Citation
MILINOVIC, Jelena, et al. Sorption of perfluoroalkyl substances in sewage sludge. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2016. Vol. 23, num. 9, pags. 8339-8348. ISSN 0944-1344. [consulted: 14 of August of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/108082