Occurrence of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in N.E. Spanish surface waters and their removal in a drinking water treatment plant that combines conventional and advanced treatments in parallel lines (original) (raw)
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Chemosphere, 2011
This paper examines the fate of perfluorinated sulfonates (PFSAs) and carboxylic acids (PFCAs) in two water reclamation plants in Australia. Both facilities take treated water directly from WWTPs and treat it further to produce high quality recycled water. The first plant utilizes adsorption and filtration methods alongside ozonation, whilst the second uses membrane processes and advanced oxidation to produce purified recycled water. At both facilities perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) were the most frequently detected PFCs. Concentrations of PFOS and PFOA in influent (WWTP effluent) ranged up to 3.7 and 16 ng L À1 respectively, and were reduced to 0.7 and 12 ng L À1 in the finished water of the ozonation plant. Throughout this facility, concentrations of most of the detected perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) remained relatively unchanged with each successive treatment step. PFOS was an exception to this, with some removal following coagulation and dissolved air flotation/sand filtration (DAFF). At the second plant, influent concentrations of PFOS and PFOA ranged up to 39 and 29 ng L À1 . All PFCs present were removed from the finished water by reverse osmosis (RO) to concentrations below detection and reporting limits (0.4-1.5 ng L À1 ). At both plants the observed concentrations were in the low parts per trillion range, well below provisional health based drinking water guidelines suggested for PFOS and PFOA.
Water and Environment Journal, 2009
There has been increasing interest in the widely used perfluorinated chemicals such as perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS). PFOS has been shown to be toxic, persistent and bioaccumulative in the environment and is a focus for restriction within the European Union. Limited monitoring data, especially in the United Kingdom, are available for PFOS in environmental waters, and even less for its detection in drinking water. Data available in the United Kingdom indicate that PFOS contamination of environmental waters has only occurred following specific incidents. Monitoring of 20 raw and treated drinking water sites in England, covering four seasonal periods, showed that PFOS is not a widespread background contaminant of raw and treated drinking water in England. Low levels of PFOS (0.012–0.208 μg/L) were detected at four specific sites, which were at a higher risk for contamination. At three of these sites, where PFOS was detected in both raw and final drinking water, treatment processes [chlorination, ozonation and granular activated carbon (GAC)] did not appear to remove PFOS. The findings of this work are pertinent to risk assessments now required by the drinking water quality regulations.
Environmental Science & Technology, 2012
The behavior of polyfluoralkyl acids (PFAAs) from intake (raw source water) to finished drinking water was assessed by taking samples from influent and effluent of the several treatment steps used in a drinking water production chain. These consisted of intake, coagulation, rapid sand filtration, dune passage, aeration, rapid sand filtration, ozonation, pellet softening, granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration, slow sand filtration, and finished drinking water. In the intake water taken from the Lek canal (a tributary of the river Rhine), the most abundant PFAAs were PFBA (perfluorobutanoic acid), PFBS (perfluorobutane sulfonate), PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate), and PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid). During treatment, longer chain PFAAs such as PFNA (perfluorononanoic acid) and PFOS were readily removed by the GAC treatment step and their GAC effluent concentrations were reduced to levels below the limits of quantitation (LOQ) (0.23 and 0.24 ng/L for PFOS and PFNA, respectively). However, more hydrophilic shorter chain PFAAs (especially PFBA and PFBS) were not removed by GAC and their concentrations remained constant through treatment. A decreasing removal capacity of the GAC was observed with increasing carbon loading and with decreasing carbon chain length of the PFAAs. This study shows that none of the treatment steps, including softening processes, are effective for PFAAs removal, except for GAC filtration. GAC can effectively remove certain PFAAs from the drinking water cycle.The enrichment of branched PFOS and PFOA isomers relative to non branched isomers during GAC filtration was observed during treatment. The finished water contained 26 and 19 ng/L of PFBA and PFBS. Other PFAAs were present in concentrations below 4.2 ng/L The concentrations of PFAAs observed in finished waters are no reason for concern for human health as margins to existing guidelines are sufficiently large.
Perfluorooctane sulphonate in raw and drinking water sources in the United Kingdom
Water and Environment Journal, 2011
There has been increasing interest in the widely used perfluorinated chemicals such as perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS). PFOS has been shown to be toxic, persistent and bioaccumulative in the environment and is a focus for restriction within the European Union. Limited monitoring data, especially in the United Kingdom, are available for PFOS in environmental waters, and even less for its detection in drinking water. Data available in the United Kingdom indicate that PFOS contamination of environmental waters has only occurred following specific incidents. Monitoring of 20 raw and treated drinking water sites in England, covering four seasonal periods, showed that PFOS is not a widespread background contaminant of raw and treated drinking water in England. Low levels of PFOS (0.012-0.208 mg/L) were detected at four specific sites, which were at a higher risk for contamination. At three of these sites, where PFOS was detected in both raw and final drinking water, treatment processes [chlorination, ozonation and granular activated carbon (GAC)] did not appear to remove PFOS. The findings of this work are pertinent to risk assessments now required by the drinking water quality regulations.
Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in sewage treatment plants
Water Research, 2009
Natural attenuation a b s t r a c t Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) are emerging anthropogenic compounds that have recently become the target of global concern due to their ubiquitous presence in the environment, persistence, and bioaccumulative properties. This study was carried out to investigate the migration of PFOS and PFOA in soils and groundwater in a U.S. metropolitan area.
AWWA Water Science, 2019
The contamination of groundwater sources with per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the United States is a widespread problem for the drinking water industry. Well water supplies in the municipalities of Fountain, Security, and Widefield, Colorado, contain perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate levels greater than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) health advisory level of 70 ng/L. The source of PFAS has been associated with aqueous film‐forming foam at Peterson Air Force Base. To assist property owners and limit the exposure of PFAS to residential drinking water systems, treatability studies were conducted by the USEPA on the PFAS removal effectiveness of commercially available point‐of‐use/point‐of‐entry units using reverse osmosis treatment and granular activated carbon adsorbents. Household water systems were tested with a test water containing the water quality characteristics and six PFAS contaminants found in Widefield aquifer region ground...
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in source and treated drinking waters of the United States
Science of The Total Environment, 2019
Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), including per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are of interest to regulators, water treatment utilities, the general public and scientists. This study measured 17 PFAS in source and treated water from 25 drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) as part of a broader study of CECs in drinking water across the United States. PFAS were quantitatively detected in all 50 samples, with summed concentrations of the 17 PFAS ranging from <1 ng/L to 1102 ng/L. The median total PFAS concentration was 21.
Desalination, 2008
The study concerned surface water contamination of two perfluorinated compounds: perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA). Surveys were repeatedly conducted in the Yodo River basin in order to find out the contamination profiles and the sources of these compounds. Collected samples were analyzed for aqueous PFOS and PFOA concentrations, by solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled with LC/MS measurement, and other fundamental water quality parameters. PFOS and PFOA concentrations were measured from 0.4 to 123 ng/L and from 4.2 to 2600 ng/L, respectively. The concentrations were reproducible and the highest levels were found in effluents of some sewage treatment plants (STPs) and tributary streams. PFOA concentration was often higher than that of PFOS, but their profiles in the basin were somewhat similar. Both profiles were different from those of chloride, and DOC suggesting that there could be little relation between contamination of PFOS and PFOA in the basin with population and nature. Loads estimation revealed that main sources of the contaminants in Katsura River were three STP effluents while the sources in Uji River could be from Lake Biwa. It is suggested that other wastewaters than domestic wastewater contributed significant loads of PFOS and PFOA in highly contaminated STP effluents.
Perfluorinated compounds contamination in tap water and bottled water in Bangkok, Thailand
Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology—AQUA, 2010
Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) have been detected in the environment, in biota and in humans. The exposure pathways of these chemicals to humans are unclear. Tap water and bottled water are two possible pathways of PFCs occurrence in human blood. The major objectives of the study were to identify the occurrences of PFCs in tap and bottled water and to evaluate conventional water treatment processes performance on removal of PFCs. Solid phase extraction coupled with HPLC-ESI-MS/MS were used for the analysis of ten PFCs. PFCs were detected in all tap water samples and bottled water samples. The average PFOS and PFOA concentrations in tap water were 0.17 and 3.58 ng l 21 , respectively. PFOS and PFOA were not similarly distributed in all areas in the city. PFCs concentrations were higher in bottled water than in tap water. Moreover, the current treatment processes were not effective in removing PFCs in aqueous phase. Nevertheless, PFCs in particulate phase were effectively removed by primary sedimentation and rapid sand filtration. Based on the guideline from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, PFOA concentrations in tap water and bottled water found in Bangkok were not expected to cause any health risks.