Coupled production and emission of short chain perfluoroalkyl acids from a fast developing fluorochemical industry: Evidence from yearly and seasonal monitoring in Daling River Basin, China

Abstract

a b s t r a c tShort chain perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) have been developed since 2002 by the major manufacturers to replace the conventional C8 and higher homologues, with much of the world production shifted to China in recent years. In this study, we conducted a continuous monitoring program over the period 2011 e2014 with seasonal monitoring in 2013 for PFAAs emitted from two rapidly developing fluorochemical industry parks located in the Daling River Basin, Northern China. The trend of PFAA contamination was identified, dominated by perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS), perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), with the maximum concentrations of 3.78 mg/L, 3.70 mg/L, and 1.95 mg/L, respectively. Seasonal monitoring uncovered the occasional emission of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). Construction trends of new facilities and associated manufacturing capacity of the main products were also analyzed to assess correlations with PFAA emissions. An assessment of the data over the period 2011e2014 found a positive correlation with fluorocarbon alcohol (FCA) production and emission of PFAAs. Groundwater and tap water around the main source indicated that the dominant PFAAs had different diffusion behaviors. PFBS levels were higher in surface water, while PFBA was dominant in groundwater and tap water, with PFOA levels being higher in downstream groundwater. Considering the continuous expansion and development of fluorochemical industry in the Daling River Basin, this study will provide abundant information on the effectiveness of risk assessment and management.

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“…Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) is an emerging toxicant of international interest, becoming increasingly concentrated in both the environment (Chen et al, 2017;Shao et al, 2016;Wang et al, 2016) and in biological samples (Glynn et al, 2012;Huang et al, 2018) due to increased manufacture and use. PFBS and its derivatives are used in the manufacture of surfactants, such as Scotchgard, metal plating, flame retardants, and fire-fighting foams (Wang et al, 2013).…”

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“…However, besides these developments, short chain PFCAs did not receive the same scientific and public attention. Today, we know that short chain PFCAs are produced and emitted in significant amounts, e.g., for use in formulations replacing the C8 based chemistry (Wang et al, 2016 ). Thus more attention will be directed to substances such as trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), perfluoropropanoic acid (PFPrA), perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS).…”

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“…However, the regulations on PFOS, PFOA and related compounds result in a sharp increase in demand for other PFAAs in the market. This shift in production and application could be imaged by the contamination profiles and trends of PFAAs in the environment [34,35]. For instance, PFHxS, rather than PFOS or PFOA, was predominant in the surface water in Taihu Lake in recent years [36].…”