Poly- and per-fluoroalkyl substances in water: Occurrence, analytical methodologies, and remediations strategies: A comprehensive review

Abstract

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are fluoro-organic compounds comprising thousands of anthropogenically produced chemicals with various industrial and consumer applications. This review compiles recent information on the sources, occurrence, and health effects of PFAS in aquatic environments. Secondly, as a primary requirement for assessing the PFAS concentration in water, this review systematically summarised the analytical methodologies (sample preparation and analytical detection techniques) for PFAS. Furthermore, health risks associated with PFAS in water are outlined. Finally, researchers worldwide have investigated the strategies for the remediation and elimination of PFAS from water. Previous studies have shown that PFASs are present in various water bodies with the highest concentration detected in Germany (94–4,385 ng·L−1 in river and drinking waters). The findings of this review further revealed that solid-phase extraction techniques were the most preferred for sample preparation compared to liquid–liquid extraction techniques. Solid-phase extraction technique improved the limit of detection and the limit of quantification of many analytical techniques to 0.010–1.15 and 0.030–4.00 ng·L−1, respectively. For PFAS remediation, the adsorption method and chemical oxidation using heat-activated persulfate and photochemical oxidation were the most used techniques. The most studied water matrices were drinking, river, groundwater, wastewater, and modelled ultra-pure water. The most used detection technique was found to be liquid chromatograph-tandem mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS).

Keywords

• poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances
• solid-phase extraction methods
• adsorption
• global concentrations