Investigations on the Thermochemical Degradation of PFAS in Flue Gas from Laboratory and Pilot Plant Facilities
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – abbreviated as PFAS - are compounds that enter the environment through industrial material cycles. Their chemically stable carbon-fluorine bonds provide valuable technical properties for industrial applications, but also render them resistant and environmentally persistent. Consequently, PFAS accumulate in various biological systems and organisms, and can now be detected in numerous samples, including drinking water, human blood, and soil. This accumulation is concerning due to the documented harmful and/or carcinogenic properties of many PFAS compounds [1,2]. For this reason, it is important to understand the pathways of these compounds from industrial processes into the environment. Combustion processes, such as those in waste incineration, are of particular interest to ensure that no PFAS are released into the environment. In this project, various combustion processes at laboratory and pilot plant scales will be examined to determine the optimalPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – abbreviated as PFAS - are compounds that enter the environment through industrial material cycles. Their chemically stable carbon-fluorine bonds provide valuable technical properties for industrial applications, but also render them resistant and environmentally persistent. Consequently, PFAS accumulate in various biological systems and organisms, and can now be detected in numerous samples, including drinking water, human blood, and soil. This accumulation is concerning due to the documented harmful and/or carcinogenic properties of many PFAS compounds [1,2]. For this reason, it is important to understand the pathways of these compounds from industrial processes into the environment. Combustion processes, such as those in waste incineration, are of particular interest to ensure that no PFAS are released into the environment. In this project, various combustion processes at laboratory and pilot plant scales will be examined to determine the optimal parameters for the reduction of PFAS in different materials.
Depending on the definition applied, the range of PFAS spans from ~4,700 to ~14,000 individual compounds, which can vary significantly in their chemical properties. This, combined with a variety of complex matrices, makes PFAS analysis particularly challenging [1,2]. Due to the complexity of PFAS, the analysis of fluorine sum parameters has become established in recent years. The application of High Resolution Continuum Source Graphite Furnace Molecular Absorption Spectroscopy (HR-CS-GFMAS) has seen increased usage [3]. However, such a methodology has not yet been established for gas analysis. Although OTM 45 was published in 2021, allowing the quantification of 50 individual PFAS, it is unclear whether this is representative of the entire class of substances [4].
Therefore, the aim of this project is to improve the analysis of PFAS in flue gas from laboratory and pilot plant facilities, thereby contributing to the understanding of their thermochemical degradation and the optimization of combustion parameters. In initial experiments, a suitable sampling apparatus consisting of impigners, a coil condenser, and gas washing bottles was tested and optimized. Cuttings, partially spiked with PFOA, and sewage sludge served as reference materials. For the measurement of sum parameters, an HR-CS-GFMAS method was developed and validated.…


| Autor*innen: | Peter Gläser |
|---|---|
| Koautor*innen: | Philipp Wittwer, Antje Cossmer, Dorit Becker, Björn Meermann, Vanessa Nuredin, Manuela Hauser, Steffen Zuchowski, Krasimir Aleksandrov, Hans-Joachim Gehrmann |
| Dokumenttyp: | Posterpräsentation |
| Veröffentlichungsform: | Präsentation |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
| Jahr der Erstveröffentlichung: | 2025 |
| Organisationseinheit der BAM: | 1 Analytische Chemie; Referenzmaterialien |
| 1 Analytische Chemie; Referenzmaterialien / 1.1 Anorganische Spurenanalytik | |
| DDC-Klassifikation: | Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / Ingenieurwissenschaften / Ingenieurbau |
| Freie Schlagwörter: | Flue Gas; HR-CS-GFMAS; PFAS; Waste Incineration |
| Themenfelder/Aktivitätsfelder der BAM: | Umwelt |
| Umwelt / Umwelt-Material-Interaktionen | |
| Veranstaltung: | ANAKON 2025 |
| Veranstaltungsort: | Leipzig, Germany |
| Beginndatum der Veranstaltung: | 10.03.2025 |
| Enddatum der Veranstaltung: | 13.03.2025 |
| Verfügbarkeit des Dokuments: | Datei im Netzwerk der BAM verfügbar ("Closed Access") |
| Datum der Freischaltung: | 08.04.2025 |
| Referierte Publikation: | Nein |

