Source and fate of PFAS in the environment.

… develop analytical methods and characterize the transfer factors of PFAS in order to propose monitoring strategies, including precursors and transformation products in order to make a consistent assessment of sewage treatment plant effluents as well as treatment technologies and recovery of these products. … framework of the European project GREEN DEAL PROMISCES (Grant n°101036449) …

Start: 01 January 2022

End: 31 December 2024

Babatounde Idjaton

Supervisors :
Eric van Hullebusch, Anne Togola

Status: In progress

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are compounds of emerging concern due to their ubiquitous distribution in the environment and their potential impact on human and environmental health. Because of the large number of PFAS compounds and their highly variable physico-chemical properties, it is difficult to eliminate them in wastewater treatment plants and they end up in the final products (e.g. fertilizers extracted from sewage sludge, recycled water, …); their accumulation is amplified by the reuse of water and these products. The research objective is to develop analytical methods and characterize the transfer factors of PFAS during sludge reuse processes, in order to propose monitoring strategies, including precursors and transformation products, and to carry out a coherent evaluation of sewage plant effluents as well as of treatment and recovery technologies for these products. To achieve this, in the framework of the European project GREEN DEAL PROMISCES (Grant n°101036449), a global analysis method by Combustion and Ion Chromatography coupling allowing to carry out the mass balance of fluorinated compounds, will be combined with a targeted analysis method, by Liquid Chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry allowing to follow the fate of PFAS molecule by molecule.