Assessing the viability of bio-based adsorbents for PFAS removal

J.B. Roman, A.J.B. Kemperman, W.G.J. van der Meer, J.A. Wood*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

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Abstract

Removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from water resources is a pressing matter. This work assesses the viability of various bio-based materials for PFAS adsorption and in which scenarios they are preferable over using activated carbon. Lignin was found to be the most promising bio-based adsorbent, having adsorption capacities of 1.6, 4.3, 5.3 ng/g for PFBA, PFBS and PFOA respectively at environmentally relevant concentrations. Following this, carbonization of lignin improved the specific surface area from 5 m2/g to between 10 and 140 m2/g. Carbonization improved adsorption capacity by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude depending on the PFAS compound, which can largely be explained by the increased specific surface area. Subsequent column studies showed that the carbonized lignin performed 30 times worse than conventional activated carbon. A simple environmental impact and cost analysis showed that using the carbonized lignin is not preferable over conventional activated carbon.

Original languageEnglish
Article number121215
Number of pages11
JournalChemical engineering science
Volume306
Early online date14 Jan 2025
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2025

Keywords

  • UT-Hybrid-D
  • Bio-based
  • Lignin
  • PFAS
  • Water treatment
  • Adsorption

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