We investigated the presence of per- and poly fluoroalkyl
substances
(PFASs) in woven and nonwoven polypropylene geotextiles and four nonwoven
polyester geotextiles commonly used in modern geosynthetic composite
lining systems for waste containment facilities such as landfills.
Targeted analysis for 23 environmentally significant PFAS molecules
and methods for examining “PFAS total” concentrations
were utilized to assess their occurrence in geotextiles. This analysis
showed that most geotextile specimens evaluated in the current investigation
contained the ultrashort chain PFAS compound pentafluoropropionic
acid (PFPrA). While the concentrations ranged from nondetectable to
10.84 μg/g, the average measured concentrations of PFPrA were
higher in polypropylene than in polyester geotextiles. “PFAS
total” parameters comprising total fluorine (TF) and total
oxidizable precursors (TOPs) indicate that no significant precursor
mass nor untargeted intermediates were present in geotextiles. Therefore,
this study identified geotextiles as a possible source of ultrashort
PFASs in engineered lined waste containment facilities, which may
contribute to the overall PFAS total concentrations in leachates or
liquors they are in contact with. The findings reported for the first
time herein may lead to further implications on the fate and migration
of PFASs in geosynthetic composite liners, as previously unidentified
concentrations, particularly of ultrashort-chain PFASs, may impact
the extent of PFAS migration through and attenuation by constituents
of geosynthetic composite liner systems. Given the widespread use
of geotextiles in various engineering activities, these findings may
have other unknown impacts. The significance of these findings needs
to be further elucidated by more extensive studies with larger geotextile
sample sizes to allow broader, generalized conclusions to be drawn.