(117m) Reuse of Zeolites for Sorption of Pfas

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances(PFAS) widely produced since the 1940s have a broad range of uses in consumer and industrial products. The persistence of PFAS in the environment, and the associated health risks, have called for monitoring and remediation of PFAS in drinking water in the US and around the world. While traditional sorbent materials such as activated carbon and ion exchange resins are being used to remove PFAS from municipal drinking water, the materials are not easily regenerated in situ. Zeolites have been identified as sorbent materials with the potential to be regenerated and demonstrate selectivity for sorbing PFAS. Zeolites have a wide range of pore openings and tunable properties, making them ideal for removing both short- and long-chain PFAS from the environment. Currently, there is minimal research investigating zeolites for sorption of PFAS and in-situ regeneration. In this poster, several zeolites are reviewed for their ability to adsorb PFAS from contaminated water samples, after multiple uses. An understanding of the adsorption mechanisms and potential interferences must be elucidated for the widespread application of adsorbent materials in a broad range of environmental matrices. Due to the widespread contamination of PFAS at low concentrations, specialized analytical techniques, with Triple Quad-Mass Spec and material considerations, had to be used to get consistent and accurate measurements at the part-per-billion level.