Communities Impacted by PFAS and other Emerging Contaminants

PFAS Contamination

Researchers at the UA SRC are developing and testing the theory governing the transport of per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in environmental systems. Our work comprises:

  • The first investigations of the influence of adsorption at air-water and oil-water interfaces on the retention and transport of PFAS in porous media (Brusseau, 2018; Lyu et al., 2018; Brusseau et al., 2019; Brusseau, 2019a). 
  • Demonstration that these retention processes have significant impact on PFAS migration and storage in source zones.
  • Development of the first comprehensive conceptual and mathematical models for PFAS retention in multi-phase systems (Brusseau et al., 2019). 
  • Chemometric tools to develop the first quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) model for predicting interfacial adsorption coefficients for PFAS and, ultimately, retention and migration of PFAS in soil and groundwater systems (Brusseau, 2019b; Brusseau and Van Glubt, 2019).

This information is critical for improving characterization of contaminated sites, examining soil leaching potential, assessing exposure risk, developing management and mitigation strategies, and implementing effective remediation efforts.

Publications

Brusseau ML.
2023
. Determining air-water interfacial areas for the retention and transport of PFAS and other interfacially active solutes in unsaturated porous media.
Sci Total Environ
1;884:163730
:
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163730
PMC10330266
Brusseau ML, Guo B.
2023
. PFAS concentrations in soil versus soil porewater: Mass distributions and the impact of adsorption at air-water interfaces.
Chemosphere
302:134938
:
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134938
PMC9667730
Yan N, Guo Z, Brusseau ML.
2023
. Sucralose as an oxidative-attenuation tracer for characterizing the application of in situ chemical oxidation for the treatment of 1,4-dioxane.
Environmental science. Processes & Impacts
24(8)
:
1165-1172
.
DOI: 10.1039/d2em00185c
PMC9643035
Lyu Y, Wang B, Du X, Guo B, Brusseau ML.
2023
. Air-water interfacial adsorption of C4-C10 perfluorocarboxylic acids during transport in unsaturated porous media. .
The Science of the Total Environment
20;831
:
154905
.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154905
PMC9645406
Brusseau ML, Guo B.
2023
. Air-water interfacial areas relevant for transport of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117785
PMC8665086
Wang Y, Khan N, Huang D, Carroll KC, Brusseau ML.
2023
. Transport of PFOS in aquifer sediment: Transport behavior and a distributed-sorption model.
The Science of the total environment
779:146444
:
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146444
PMC8565396
Dai M, Yan N, Brusseau ML.
2023
. Potential impact of bacteria on the transport of PFAS in porous media.
Water Res
15;243:120350
:
10.1016/j.watres.2023.120350
PMC10530518
Brusseau ML, Guo, B.
2023
. Revising the EPA Dilution-Attenuation Soil Screening Model for PFAS.
Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters
4:100077
:
DOI: 10.1016/j.hazl.2023.100077
PMC10662647
Ji Y, Yan N, Brusseau ML, Guo B, Zheng X, Dai M, Liu H, Li X.
2022
. Impact of a Hydrocarbon Surfactant on the Retention and Transport of Perfluorooctanoic Acid in Saturated and Unsaturated Porous Media.
Environmental science & technology
55(15):10480-10490
:
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c01919
PMC8634892
Huang D, Khan NA, Wang G, Carroll KC, Brusseau ML .
2022
. The Co-Transport of PFAS and Cr(VI) in porous media.
Chemosphere
286(Pt 3):131834
:
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131834
PMC8634893
Huang D, Saleem H, Guo B, Brusseau ML.
2022
. The impact of multiple-component PFAS solutions on fluid-fluid interfacial adsorption and transport of PFOS in unsaturated porous media .
The Science of the Total Environment
806(Pt 2):150595
:
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150595
PMC8633151
Hitzelberger M, Khan NA, Mohamed RAM, Brusseau ML, Carroll KC .
2022
. PFOS Mass Flux Reduction/Mass Removal: Impacts of a Lower-Permeability Sand Lens within Otherwise Homogeneous Systems. Environmental science & technology.
Environmental Science & Technology
56(19)
:
13675- 13685
.
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c02193
PMC9664819
Huang D, Khan N, Wang G, Caroll KC, Brusseau ML.
2022
. The Co-Transport of PFAS and Cr(VI) in porous media.
Chemosphere
Volume 286(3)
:
131834
.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131834
Van Glubt S, Brusseau ML.
2021
. Contribution of Nonaqueous-Phase Liquids to the Retention and Transport of Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Porous Media.
Environmental Science & Technology
55(6)
:
3706-3715
.
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c07355
PMC8634874
Zhou D, Brusseau ML, Zhang Y, Li S, Wei W, Sun H, Zheng C.
2021
. Simulating PFAS adsorption kinetics, adsorption isotherms, and nonideal transport in saturated soil with tempered onesided stable density (TOSD) based models.
Journal of hazardous materials
411:125169
:
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125169.
PMC8634869
Brusseau ML, Guo B, Huang D, Yan N, Lyu Y .
2021
. Ideal versus Nonideal Transport of PFAS in Unsaturated Porous Media.
Water research
202:117405
:
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117405
PMC8559529
Brusseau ML, Guo B.
2021
. Air-water interfacial areas relevant for transport of per and poly-fluoroalkyl substances.
Water Research
117785
:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2021.117785
Brusseau ML, Van Glubt S.
2021
. The influence of molecular structure on PFAS adsorption at air-water interfaces in electrolyte solutions.
Chemosphere
281
:
130829
.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130829
Brusseau ML, Guo B, Huang D, Yan N, Lyu Y.
2021
. Ideal versus Nonideal Transort of PFAS in Unsaturated Porous Media.
Water Research
202
:
117401
.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2021.117405
PMC8559529
Wang Y, Khan N, Huang D, Caroll KC, Brusseau ML.
2021
. Transport of PFOS in aquifer sediment: Transport behavior and a distributed-sorption model.
Science of the Total Environment
Volume 779, July 2021,
:
146444
.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146444