A review of PFAS adsorption from aqueous solutions: Current approaches, engineering applications, challenges, and opportunities

Xiaobo Lei; Qiyu Lian; Xu Zhang; Tolga K Karsili; William Holmes; Yushun Chen; Mark E Zappi; Daniel Dianchen Gang

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121138

A review of PFAS adsorption from aqueous solutions: Current approaches, engineering applications, challenges, and opportunities

Environ Pollut. 2023 Mar 15:321:121138. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121138. Epub 2023 Jan 23.

Authors

Xiaobo Lei¹, Qiyu Lian¹, Xu Zhang², Tolga K Karsili³, William Holmes⁴, Yushun Chen⁵, Mark E Zappi⁴, Daniel Dianchen Gang⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Civil Engineering, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA; Center for Environmental Technology, The Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, P. O. Box 43597, Lafayette, LA, 70504, USA.
² Department of Civil Engineering, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA; Beijing International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Water Pollution Control Techniques for Antibiotics and Resistance Genes, School of Civil Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, 3 Shangyuancun, Beijing 100044, PR China.
³ Department of Chemistry, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA.
⁴ Center for Environmental Technology, The Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, P. O. Box 43597, Lafayette, LA, 70504, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430072, PR China.
⁶ Department of Civil Engineering, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA; Center for Environmental Technology, The Energy Institute of Louisiana, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, P. O. Box 43597, Lafayette, LA, 70504, USA. Electronic address: daniel.gang@louisiana.edu.

PMID: 36702432
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121138

Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have drawn great attention due to their wide distribution in water bodies and toxicity to human beings. Adsorption is considered as an efficient treatment technique for meeting the increasingly stringent environmental and health standards for PFAS. This paper systematically reviewed the current approaches of PFAS adsorption using different adsorbents from drinking water as well as synthetic and real wastewater. Adsorbents with large mesopores and high specific surface area adsorb PFAS faster, their adsorption capacities are higher, and the adsorption process are usually more effective under low pH conditions. PFAS adsorption mechanisms mainly include electrostatic attraction, hydrophobic interaction, anion exchange, and ligand exchange. Various adsorbents show promising performances but challenges such as requirements of organic solvents in regeneration, low adsorption selectivity, and complicated adsorbent preparations should be addressed before large scale implementation. Moreover, the aid of decision-making tools including response surface methodology (RSM), techno-economic assessment (TEA), life cycle assessment (LCA), and multi criteria decision analysis (MCDA) were discussed for engineering applications. The use of these tools is highly recommended prior to scale-up to determine if the specific adsorption process is economically feasible and sustainable. This critical review presented insights into the most fundamental aspects of PFAS adsorption that would be helpful to the development of effective adsorbents for the removal of PFAS in future studies and provide opportunities for large-scale engineering applications.

Keywords: Adsorbents; Adsorption mechanisms; Challenges in upscaling; PFAS removal.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Adsorption
Fluorocarbons*
Humans
Wastewater
Water
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis
Water Purification*

Substances

Water Pollutants, Chemical
Fluorocarbons
Wastewater
Water