TY - JOUR A1 - Vogel, Christian A1 - Roesch, Philipp A1 - Wittwer, Philipp A1 - Piechotta, Christian A1 - Lisec, Jan A1 - Sommerfeld, Thomas A1 - Kluge, Stephanie A1 - Herzel, Hannes A1 - Huthwelker, T. A1 - Borca, C. A1 - Simon, Franz-Georg T1 - Levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in various wastewater-derived fertilizers - Analytical investigations from different perspectives N2 - Solid wastewater-based fertilizers were screened for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by the extractable organic fluorine (EOF) sum parameter method. The EOF values for ten sewage sludges from Germany and Switzerland range from 154 to 7209 mg kg−1. For thermal treated sewage sludge and struvite the EOF were lower with values up to 121 mg kg−1. Moreover, the application of PFAS targeted and suspect screening analysis of selected sewage sludge samples showed that only a small part of the EOF sum parameter values can be explained by the usually screened legacy PFAS. The hitherto unknown part of EOF sum parameter contains also fluorinated pesticides, pharmaceutical and aromatic compounds. Because these partly fluorinated compounds can degrade to (ultra-)short PFAS in wastewater treatment plants they should be considered as significant sources of organic fluorine in the environment. The combined results of sum parameter analysis and suspect screening reveal the need to update current regulations, such as the German fertilizer ordinance, to focus not solely on a few selected PFAS such as perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) but consider an additional sum parameter approach as a more holistic alternative. Moreover, diffusion gradient in thin-films (DGT) passive samplers were utilized as an alternative simplified extraction method for PFAS in solid wastewater-based fertilizers and subsequently quantified via combustion ion chromatography. However, the DGT method was less sensitive and only comparable to the EOF values of the fertilizers in samples with >150 mg kg−1, because of different diffusion properties for various PFAS, but also kinetic exchange limitations. KW - Combustion ion chromatography KW - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) KW - Sewage sludge KW - Fertilizer PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-583429 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d3va00178d SN - 2754-7000 VL - 2 IS - 10 SP - 1436 EP - 1445 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) CY - London AN - OPUS4-58342 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sommerfeld, Thomas A1 - Riedel, Juliane A1 - Lisec, Jan A1 - Mauch, Tatjana A1 - Richter, Silke A1 - Koch, Matthias T1 - Development of a certified reference material for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in textiles N2 - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a large group of emerging organic pollutants that contaminate the environment, food, and consumer products. Textiles and other outdoor products are a major source of PFAS exposure due to their water-repellent impregnations. Determination of PFASs in textiles is increasingly important for enhancing their contribution to the circular economy. While maximum levels and restrictions exist for certain key compounds under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and the REACH regulation, certified reference materials (CRMs) are not currently available. To address this issue, the first CRM for determining PFASs in outdoor textiles (BAM-B003) was developed. It fully complies with the requirements of ISO 17034 and ISO 33405. This work presents the entire process of CRM development process, including preparation, a homogeneity study, a stability study, and value assignment. Certification was based on an in-house study at BAM using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) with stable isotope dilution analysis (SIDA). The certified mass fractions of 18 PFASs range widely from 0.46 to 69 µg/kg, with a prevalence of PFOA (69 µg/kg), PFOS (41 µg/kg) and PFHxA (35 µg/kg) exceeding legal limits. BAM-B003 is intended for analytical quality control and contributes to improving the chemical safety of textiles and strengthening the circular economy. KW - Reference Material KW - PFAS KW - Textiles PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-641040 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-025-06098-2 SN - 1618-2642 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC AN - OPUS4-64104 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scholl, Juliane A1 - Meiers, Emelie A1 - Mauch, Tatjana A1 - Lisec, Jan A1 - Sommerfeld, Thomas A1 - Weinfurtner, Karlheinz A1 - Haase, Hajo A1 - Koch, Matthias T1 - Approaches towards sensitive and reliable determination of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) from German grass- and farmland soils N2 - In light of the emerging threat of environmental contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), there is a growing need for analytical techniques that can be applied to a range of environmental matrices, including water, air, plant, and soil samples. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is a member of the PFAS class, representing the shortest perfluorinated carboxylic acid and is an emerging pollutant whose environmental levels are expected to increase in the future. Soil matrices represent the interface between plant and ecosystem uptake of TFA, but contamination is poorly understood, largely due to a lack of uniform TFA determination methods. This study compares six ways of determining TFA in soils and highlights their limitations. We present a validated sample preparation method with high recoveries (104 %), low LOD (0.015 ng/g) and LOQ (0.045 ng/g). This approach includes isotope dilution analysis with hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS/MS) detection. The method was applied to quantify the TFA content in 100 soil samples from grassland and farmland across Germany. The results indicate the ubiquity of TFA, accompanied by elevated contamination levels in certain locations. An analysis of variance revealed no correlation with collection site and designation purpose. However, a low correlation was observed with dry bulk density. KW - PFAS KW - Extraction methods KW - HILIC-MS/M KW - Emerging pollutant KW - German soil protection PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2025.144496 SN - 0045-6535 VL - 382 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-63499 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hoque, Maroof Arshadul A1 - Sommerfeld, Thomas A1 - Lisec, Jan A1 - Das, Prasenjit A1 - Prinz, Carsten A1 - Heinekamp, Christian A1 - Stolar, Tomislav A1 - Etter, Martin A1 - Rosenberger, David A1 - George, Janine A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Mechanochemically Synthesized Covalent Organic Framework Effectively Captures PFAS Contaminants N2 - Per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants that pose significant health risks, prompting urgent efforts to develop effective removal methods and adsorbers. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are metal‐free adsorbers with high stability and tunable porosity. A highly crystalline COF is synthesised mechanochemically using 1,3,5‐tris(4‐aminophenyl)benzene (TAPB) and 1,3,5‐triformylbenzene (TFB). The formation dynamics are monitored in real time with time‐resolved in situ synchrotron X‐ray diffraction. The TAPB‐TFB COF demonstrates good efficiency in eliminating PFAS from water. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) are effectively extracted, and most of the adsorption occurred within the first 10 min. Additionally, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and DFT calculations are employed to elucidate the molecular interactions between PFAS and the COF framework. The rapid and efficient removal of PFAS makes TAPB‐TFB COF a promising material for water treatment applications. KW - COFs KW - Ball-milling KW - PFAS PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-648712 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202509275 SN - 1613-6810 VL - 21 IS - 44 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Wiley CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-64871 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -