Kinetic model of PFAS removal by semi-batch foam fractionation and validation by experimental data for K-PFOS

Jianlong Wang; Robert K Niven; Anthony Morrison; Scott P Wilson; Vladimir Strezov; Mark P Taylor

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161145

Kinetic model of PFAS removal by semi-batch foam fractionation and validation by experimental data for K-PFOS

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Mar 20:865:161145. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161145. Epub 2022 Dec 23.

Authors

Jianlong Wang¹, Robert K Niven², Anthony Morrison³, Scott P Wilson⁴, Vladimir Strezov³, Mark P Taylor⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Engineering and Information Technology, The University of New South Wales, Northcott Drive, Canberra, ACT, 2610, Australia. Electronic address: jianlong.wang.unsw@gmail.com.
² School of Engineering and Information Technology, The University of New South Wales, Northcott Drive, Canberra, ACT, 2610, Australia. Electronic address: r.niven@adfa.edu.au.
³ School of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science & Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
⁴ School of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science & Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia; Earthwatch Institute Australia, 60 Leicester Street Carlton, VIC 3053, Australia.
⁵ School of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science & Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia; Environment Protection Authority, Centre for Applied Sciences, Melbourne, Victoria 3085, Australia.

PMID: 36572310
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161145

Abstract

Adsorptive bubble separation techniques such as foam fractionation have recently been applied for the extraction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from waters at both laboratory and operational scales. However, few authors have developed mathematical models of their removal of PFAS. This study presents a theoretical framework for the kinetics of PFAS removal from fresh and monovalent saline waters by a semi-batch foam fractionation process, by the mechanisms of adsorption, entrainment and volatilization, as a function of pertinent parameters including PFAS air-water adsorption, bubble radius, electrolyte concentration and ionic strength, PFAS volatility, and flow and geometric parameters. The freshwater model is validated for the removal of potassium perfluorooctane sulfonate (K-PFOS) using published experimental data (Meng, P. et al., Chemosphere, 2018, 203, 263-270). The proposed models provide quantitative tools for process design and the optimization of individual PFAS removal by semi-batch adsorptive bubble separation techniques such as foam fractionation.

Keywords: Adsorptive bubble separation; Air-water interface; Electrolyte; Foam fractionation; Ionic strength; Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS).