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Atmospheric Transport of PFAS Compounds from a Manufacturing Facility

McGrothers, Miranda Lee
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1629739334802101

Abstract Details

2021, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Civil Engineering.
Chemours Washington Works in Wood County, West Virginia, is a fluoropolymer production facility using poly- and per-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) was used in the Teflon production line from 1951 until a voluntary phase-out of the compound by 2015, following the EPA’s concerns about its toxicity, mobility, and bioaccumulation potential. Since 2009, hexafluoropropylene oxide-dimer acid (HFPO-DA) has been used as PFOA’s replacement; however, it has been detected near fluoropolymer manufacturing facilities in air, soil, and water samples. PFOA is a known environmental contaminant with detections across various media and worldwide as far as the Canadian Arctic, potentially through atmospheric transport. It has gained much attention as a water contaminant, with detections in private wells and water from public services, but less research focus has placed on atmospheric transport of PFAS. Previous studies showing air and rainwater concentrations of PFOA and HFPO-DA suggest that PFAS can be transported through the atmosphere and deposited farther from point sources. Extent for potential contamination, particularly for HFPO-DA, is not yet fully clear, but airborne PFAS could result in contamination of non-local soils and drinking water where less monitoring is occurring. Washington Works, as a facility currently using HFPO-DA and with previous environmental detections of the compound, provides a unique opportunity to assess atmospheric transport of existing and previous PFAS. The purpose of this study was to explore the atmospheric fate of HFPO-DA, PFOA, and other common PFAS by investigating air concentrations downwind of the facility using polyurethane foam (PUF) and sorbent-impregnated PUF (SIP) passive air samplers. Samplers were deployed from November 2020 through February 2021 at six different locations in southeastern Ohio to determine air concentrations from site-specific sampling rates. Resulting sampling rates were comparable to the previously suggested rate of 4 m3/day. Using these sampling rates, air concentrations were calculated. PFOA was largely undetected, but air concentrations of HFPO-DA ranged 0.1 – 0.3 ng/m3. Comparing to previous data and modeling efforts, this suggests that HFPO-DA experiences exponential loss from the atmosphere (via loss mechanisms such as deposition or transformation) closer to the point source. This could mean that all sites in this study had similar air concentrations due to being in the plateau region of this exponential decay. Alternatively, it could be that these air concentrations represent background levels of HFPO-DA, or it is possible that more effective control measures were recently put in place such that emissions do not leave the plant. Additional data and studies would be needed, including confirming emission rates of HFPO-DA from Washington Works, implementing sites closer to the facility, and optimizing the extraction process to reduce contamination and enhance recoveries. Given that HFPO-DA may be lost quickly, and given the predicted behavior of the compound, it seems likely that wet deposition could be occurring; thus, collecting precipitation samples near and downwind of the facility could also prove beneficial.
Linda Weavers (Advisor)
Allison MacKay (Committee Member)
Andrew May (Advisor)
103 p.
Environmental Engineering
PFAS; PFOA; HFPO-DA; GenX; Air; Atmospheric Transport; Fate

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • McGrothers, M. L. (2021). Atmospheric Transport of PFAS Compounds from a Manufacturing Facility [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1629739334802101

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • McGrothers, Miranda. Atmospheric Transport of PFAS Compounds from a Manufacturing Facility. 2021. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1629739334802101.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • McGrothers, Miranda. "Atmospheric Transport of PFAS Compounds from a Manufacturing Facility." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1629739334802101

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1629739334802101
164
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.