TY - CONF A1 - Vogel, Christian T1 - Microspectroscopy reveals dust-derived apatite grains in highly-weathered soils from the Kohala climosequence on Hawaii N2 - Dust deposition is an important source of phosphorus (P) to many ecosystems. However, there is little evidence of dust-derived P-containing minerals in soils. Here we studied P forms along a well-described climatic gradient on Hawaii, which is also a dust deposition gradient. Soil mineralogy and soil P forms from six sites along the climatic gradient were analyzed with bulk (X-ray diffraction and P K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure) and microscale (X-ray fluorescence, P K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure, and Raman) analysis methods. In the wettest soils, apatite grains ranging from 5 to 30 μm in size were co-located at the micro-scale with quartz, a known continental dust indicator suggesting recent atmospheric deposition. In addition to colocation with quartz, further evidence of dust-derived P included backward trajectory modeling indicating that dust particles could be brought to Hawaii from the major global dust-loading areas in central Asia and northern Africa. Although it is not certain whether the individual observed apatite grains were derived from long-distance transport of dust, or from local dust sources such as volcanic ash or windblown fertilizer, these observations offer direct evidence that P-containing minerals have reached surface layers of highly-weathered grassland soils through atmospheric deposition. T2 - BESSY Science Seminar CY - Online meeting DA - 01.04.2022 KW - Phosphorus KW - Soil KW - X-ray diffraction KW - X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy KW - Fertilizer KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - infrared spectroscopy PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-54584 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Vogel, Christian T1 - Mechanochemical remediation of PFAS in soils – Does it work? N2 - Current decontamination strategies of PFAS-burdened soils mainly consist of adsorption methods using adsorbents for fixation of PFAS in the ground. A second option is the utilization of a “pump and treat” process, cycling polluted soils through a washing plant leading to the concentration of the pollutants in the fine fraction. Only a subsequent, high-energy consuming pyrolysis process guarantees the total destruction of all fluorinated organic contaminants. These approaches are cost-intensive and not intended for the direct decomposition of all PFAS contaminants. Hence, there is a great demand for innovative developments and chemical treatment technologies, dealing with new strategies of tackling the PFAS problem. Thus, we investigated mechanochemical treatment of PFAS contaminated soils with various additives in a ball mill and analyzed the PFAS defluorination with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), respectively, as well as the fluoride mineralization by ion chromatography (IC) and fluorine K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. T2 - Baltic Sea PFAS Network Coffee Session CY - Online meeting DA - 25.08.2023 KW - Mechanochemical treatment KW - Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) KW - Remediation KW - X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58114 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Vogel, Christian T1 - Investigation of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in soils and groundwater through fluorine K-edge XANES spectroscopy – potential for collaboration N2 - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of anionic, cationic and zwitterionic synthetic products, in which the hydrogen atoms on the carbon skeleton of at least one carbon atom have been completely replaced by fluorine atoms and which include more than 4730 compounds, depending on the definition. As a result of continuous and prolific use, mainly in aviation firefighting foams, thousands of industrial and military installations have been found to contain contaminated soil, groundwater and surface water. Furthermore, current decontamination strategies of PFAS-burdened soils mainly consist of adsorption methods using adsorbents for fixation of PFAS in the ground. Hence, there is a great demand for innovative developments and chemical treatment technologies, dealing with new strategies of tackling the PFAS problem. Thus, we investigated mechanochemical treatment of PFAS contaminated soils with various additives in a ball mill and analyzed the PFAS defluorination. In this presentation the advantages of fluorine K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy for various environment samples are shown. T2 - SESAME-Germany Info Day CY - Hamburg, Germany DA - 21.04.2023 KW - Soil KW - Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) KW - Synchotron KW - X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-57365 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Vogel, Christian T1 - PFAS analytics and their relation to PFAS remediation N2 - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of more than 10,000 anionic, cationic, zwitterionic or neutral organofluorine surfactants. As a result of continuous and prolific use, mainly in aviation firefighting foams, thousands of industrial and military installations have been found to contain contaminated soil, groundwater and surface water. While liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is commonly used technique to characterize targeted PFAS in environmental samples, there are more than 10,000 different PFAS known, which have various headgroups and properties. Therefore, several analytical techniques are available to analyse various groups or pools of PFAS or “all” PFAS as a sum parameter. Current decontamination strategies of PFAS-burdened soils mainly consist of adsorption methods using adsorbents for fixation of PFAS in the ground. A second option is the utilization of a “pump and treat” process, cycling polluted soils through a washing plant leading to the concentration of the pollutants in the fine fraction. Both approaches are cost-intensive and not intended for the direct decomposition of all PFAS contaminants. Hence, there is a great demand for innovative developments and chemical treatment technologies, dealing with new strategies of tackling the PFAS problem. Previously, mechanochemical treatment of polychlorinated organic compounds in soils showed an efficient dechlorination. Thus, we investigated mechanochemical treatment of PFAS contaminated soils with various additives in a ball mill and analyzed the PFAS defluorination with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), respectively, as well es the fluoride mineralization by ion chromatography (IC) and fluorine K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. T2 - International workshop of CAR-PFAS (Consortium for analysis and remediation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) Japan CY - Tokyo, Japan DA - 17.10.2023 KW - Mechanochemical treatment KW - Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) KW - XANES spectroscopy KW - Soil PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58609 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Vogel, Christian T1 - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in sewage sludge and wastewater-based fertilizers and future PFAS remediation N2 - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of anionic, cationic and zwitterionic synthetic products, in which the hydrogen atoms on the carbon skeleton of at least one carbon atom have been completely replaced by fluorine atoms and which include more than 4730 compounds, depending on the definition. As a result of continuous and prolific use, mainly in aviation firefighting foams, thousands of industrial and military installations have been found to contain contaminated soil, groundwater and surface water. As a result of the perpetual use of PFAS containing products, effluents and sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been observed to be an important pathway for PFAS into the environment. In Germany, phosphorus and other nutrients from sewage sludge and wastewater should be recycled in WWTPs of cities with a large population. However, it is not clear if PFAS contamination from wastewater and sewage sludge end up in novel wastewater-based fertilizers. Normally, PFAS are analyzed using PFAS protocols typically with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) quantification. To get a better overview of the amount of “total PFAS,” we applied sum parameter methods based on combustion ion chromatography (CIC) to screen the PFAS contaminations in various sewage sludge and wastewater-based fertilizers. Furthermore, current decontamination strategies of PFAS-burdened soils mainly consist of adsorption methods using adsorbents for fixation of PFAS in the ground. A second option is the utilization of a “pump and treat” process, cycling polluted soils through a washing plant leading to the concentration of the pollutants in the fine fraction. Only a subsequent, high-energy consuming pyrolysis process guarantees the total destruction of all fluorinated organic contaminants. Both approaches are cost-intensive and not intended for the direct decomposition of all PFAS contaminants. Hence, there is a great demand for innovative developments and chemical treatment technologies, dealing with new strategies of tackling the PFAS problem. T2 - Seminar of Ben-Gurion University CY - Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel DA - 02.11.2022 KW - PFAS KW - Sewage sludge KW - XANES spectroscopy PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56166 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Vogel, Christian T1 - Per- und polyfluorierte Alkylsubstanzen (PFAS) im Klärschlamm - Analytische Methoden und Grenzwerte N2 - Per- und Polyfluoralkylsubstanzen (PFAS) sind eine Gruppe von mehr als 4700 anionischen und kationischen anthrophonen Stoffen, die aufgrund ihrer inerten chemischen Stabilität und ihrer Widerstandsfähigkeit gegen den Abbau durch Hitze oder Säuren in einer Vielzahl von Produkten verwendet werden. Infolge der ständigen Verwendung, vor allem in Feuerlöschschäumen für die Luftfahrt, wurden in Tausenden von Industrie- und Militäranlagen kontaminierte Böden und Grundwasservorkommen gefunden. Aufgrund der ständigen Verwendung von fluorierten Konsumgütern haben sich jedoch auch Abwässer und Klärschlamm aus Kläranlagen als Quelle für die Kontamination der aquatischen Umwelt mit PFAS erwiesen. Infolge der strengeren Vorschriften und Beschränkungen, die in den letzten Jahren für die Verwendung langkettiger (≥C8) PFAS erlassen wurden, findet in der chemischen Industrie eine deutliche Verlagerung hin zur Herstellung kurz- (C4-C7) und ultrakurzkettiger (C1-C3) Alternativen statt. Mit der Novellierung der Klärschlammverordnung im Jahr 2017 hat der deutsche Gesetzgeber die Ausbringung von Klärschlamm auf landwirtschaftlichen Flächen verboten, und bis 2029/2032 wird die Ausbringung von Klärschlamm in der Landwirtschaft vollständig verboten sein. Während die Belastung der Umwelt mit organischen Schadstoffen wie PFAS, Pestiziden und Arzneimitteln nicht mehr erwünscht ist, muss Phosphor (P) aus Klärschlamm weiterhin zur Herstellung hochwertiger P-Dünger für eine Kreislaufwirtschaft genutzt werden. Derzeit können pflanzenverfügbare P-Düngemittel aus Klärschlamm/Abwasser mit verschiedenen Behandlungsmethoden hergestellt werden, darunter Fällung, Auslaugung und thermische Behandlung. Der Verbleib von PFAS bei der Auslaugung, Ausfällung und Behandlung von Klärschlamm und Abwasser ist jedoch noch weitgehend unbekannt. T2 - Berliner Klärschlammkonferenz CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 14.11.2022 KW - Klärschlamm KW - Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) KW - Phosphor KW - Düngemittel PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56291 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Vogel, Christian T1 - PFAS analysis by fluorine K-edge XANES spectroscopy and thermal and mechanochemical treatment N2 - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of more than 12,000 organofluorine surfactants. As a result of continuous and prolific use, mainly in aviation firefighting foams, thousands of industrial and military installations have been found to contain contaminated soil, groundwater and surface water. . Current decontamination strategies of PFAS-burdened soils mainly consist of adsorption methods using adsorbents for fixation of PFAS in the ground. A second option is the utilization of a “pump and treat” process, cycling polluted soils through a washing plant leading to the concentration of the pollutants in the fine fraction. Both approaches are cost-intensive and not intended for the direct decomposition of all PFAS contaminants. Furthermore, the contaminated adsorbants have to be safely thermal treated for recovery. Hence, there is a great demand for innovative developments, dealing with new strategies of tackling the PFAS problem. Previously, mechanochemical treatment of polychlorinated organic compounds in soils showed an efficient dechlorination. Thus, we investigated mechanochemical treatment of PFAS contaminated soils with various additives in a ball mill. T2 - SEMICON CY - Tokyo, Japan DA - 12.12.2024 KW - Mechanochemical treatment KW - Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) KW - XANES spectroscopy KW - Thermal treatment PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-62183 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Vogel, Christian T1 - Quantification of Perfluorocarboxylic Acids in Water Samples via Static Headspace Gas Chromatography Coupled to Mass Spectrometry N2 - Perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) are one of the most prominent and studied subgroups of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), which have attracted great interest in environmental and toxicology research due to their intensive use in combination with their persistence, mobility and potential threat to ecosystems and human health. The standard method to quantify PFCAs in water samples is liquid chromatography or, for additional quantification of ultrashort-chain PFCAs (carbon chain length of two or three carbon atoms) too, hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography, in each case coupled with mass spectrometry. However, there are a lot of laboratories using MS coupled to headspace gas chromatography systems (HS-GC-MS), usually to quantify a wide range of volatile organic compounds. While PFCAs themselves are difficult to measure with HS-GC-MS in water samples, this challenge can be solved by derivatizing the acids to more volatile compounds, like esters. This approach could enable laboratories using HS-GC-MS to analyse and monitor PFCAs in environmental water samples. By following this idea, we successfully developed a HS-GC-MS method to quantify PFCAs in ultrapure water. Trifluoric acid (TFA), perfluoropropionic acid (PFPrA), perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOS) served as exemplary analytes of PFCAs, which were derivatized with methanol and concentrated sulfuric acid to form methyl esters. The method was optimized by varying different preparation and measurement parameters, leading to limits of detection and quantification in the two-digit ppt-range for all four analytes. The method was than tested on various real water samples, including tap and bottled water, groundwater, landfill leachate, treated wastewater and impinger water from a sewage sludge incineration experiment. Furthermore, snow samples from a ski slope were analysed too. TFA was the most frequently detected PFAA, with concentrations in the ppt and low ppb range. The detection and quantification of the remaining three PFCAs vary with the sample types and sampling location.Our results show that HS-GC-MS is suitable, and enables laboratories with this technique, to quantify PFCAs water samples. T2 - SETAC Europe CY - Vienna, Austria DA - 11.05.2025 KW - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) KW - Groundwater KW - GC-MS PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63094 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Vogel, Christian T1 - Current status of monitoring of PFAS release from industrial facilities N2 - Increasing studies report per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the ambient air and emissions from diverse industrial sources. Therefore, a comprehensive framework for characterizing PFAS emissions by identifying source-specific chemical fingerprints, evaluating emission pathways and assessing the impact of remediation technologies is needed. Depending on the type of PFAS, dedicated sampling and analytical procedures are required. Here, also the detection of possible PFAS transformation products, so-called products of incomplete combustion (PICs) are more mobile or toxic, is also of great interest to evaluate these technologies in terms of mineralisation potential and fluorine mass balance. T2 - PFAS study and technical exchange tour of MEE-FECO in Germany CY - Online meeting DA - 12.09.2025 KW - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) KW - Incineration PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64081 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Vogel, Christian T1 - Investigating the Thermal Decomposition of PFAS in a Full-Scale Commercial Hazardous Waste Incinerator N2 - Incineration is currently the only commercial full-scale technology available to destroy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in large solid and liquid waste streams. Given previous experience of dioxin formation during halogenated waste incineration, concerns about the emission of products of incomplete destruction (PIDs) from PFAS incineration exist. The overarching objective of this project is to track the fate of fluorine during full-scale hazardous waste incineration in order to demonstrate the readiness, viability, and level of safety for thermal PFAS destruction in various waste streams. The specific objectives of this project are (1) to enhance our understanding of key variables and conditions on PFAS incineration performance, (2) to identify major PIDs under insufficient treatment conditions, (3) to explore the catalytic role of fly ash and other process-relevant surfaces in thermal PFAS decomposition, and (4) to determine the potential formation of polyfluorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans. T2 - CEN/TC 264/WG48 Symposium - Emissions and ambient air - Determination of PFAS CY - Düsseldorf, Germany DA - 16.07.2025 KW - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) KW - Incineration PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63714 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -