Landfill leachate contributes per-/poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and pharmaceuticals to municipal wastewater

Masoner, Jason R.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Cozzarelli, Isabelle M.; Smalling, Kelly L.; Bolyard, Stephanie C.; Field, Jennifer A.; Furlong, Edward T.; Gray, James L.; Lozinski, Duncan; Reinhart, Debra R.; Rodowa, Alix E.; Bradley, Paul M.

doi:10.1039/d0ew00045k

Cited by 96 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 61 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Similar findings have been reported in Canada [52], China [30,53], Ireland [54,55], Spain [56] and the United States [32,33,37,57,58], at generally similar concentrations, with one measurement near manufacturing activities at concentrations exceeding 290,000 ng/L (290 mg/kg) [53]. Carpet waste and clothing were determined [33] to be sources of biotransformation precursors of PFAS compounds in the aqueous phases of anaerobic landfill model reactors.…”

Section: Pfas Landfill Leachatessupporting

confidence: 76%

Interactions of Per- and Polyfluoralkyl Substances (PFAS) with Landfill Liners

Gates¹,

MacLeod²,

Fehérvári³

et al. 2020

AEER

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This review synthesises the available published research on interactions of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) with landfill liners, with the view to inform on the expected behaviour of these persistent environmental pollutants in landfills. The review addresses the nature and significant types of PFAS compounds that are destined for landfills, as well as their by-product. It discusses the known and anticipated interactions with separate landfill liner components, namely geomembranes, geosynthetic clay liners and compacted clay liners. Various water-soluble PFAS are shown to advectively transport through geosynthetic clay liners (GCL) and showcase the limitations of relying on mineral liners alone to retain PFAS. Addition of activated carbon, while increasing saturated hydraulic conductivity, significantly increases PFAS retention by the GCL and reduced PFAS flux to manageable concentrations. An assessment of the relative risk for environmental exposure of different types of PFAS from landfills through interaction with those liner components is achieved with reference to published case studies of PFAS detection in and around landfills from Australia and around the World.

show abstract

Section: Pfas Landfill Leachatessupporting

confidence: 76%

Interactions of Per- and Polyfluoralkyl Substances (PFAS) with Landfill Liners

Gates¹,

MacLeod²,

Fehérvári³

et al. 2020

AEER

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This is particularly concerning, given the increased use of biosolids in recent years and the constant recirculation of PFAS between WWTPs and landfills [119]. WWTPs receive PFAS-laden leachates, and WWTP biosolids are often deposited back in landfills, creating a cycle [77,82,83]. Thus, through point source discharges of effluents, leakage or unintended releases from surface impoundments and structures, air emissions, biosolid disposal and management, and precursor reactions during treatment, WWTPs can become major contributors to the environmental release of PFAS.…”

Section: Wastewater Treatment Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of the Applications, Environmental Release, and Remediation Technologies of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances

Meegoda

Kewalramani

et al. 2020

IJERPH

123

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are pollutants that have demonstrated a high level of environmental persistence and are very difficult to remediate. As the body of literature on their environmental effects has increased, so has regulatory and research scrutiny. The widespread usage of PFAS in industrial applications and consumer products, complicated by their environmental release, mobility, fate, and transport, have resulted in multiple exposure routes for humans. Furthermore, low screening levels and stringent regulatory standards that vary by state introduce considerable uncertainty and potential costs in the environmental management of PFAS. The recalcitrant nature of PFAS render their removal difficult, but existing and emerging technologies can be leveraged to destroy or sequester PFAS in a variety of environmental matrices. Additionally, new research on PFAS remediation technologies has emerged to address the efficiency, costs, and other shortcomings of existing remediation methods. Further research on the impact of field parameters such as secondary water quality effects, the presence of co-contaminants and emerging PFAS, reaction mechanisms, defluorination yields, and the decomposition products of treatment technologies is needed to fully evaluate these emerging technologies, and industry attention should focus on treatment train approaches to improve efficiency and reduce the cost of treatment.

show abstract

“…The waste containing PFAS spreads in landfill leachates. A total of 17 studies have reported the concentrations of PFAS in landfill leachates, including seven conducted in North America [27,29,45,51,[65][66][67], seven in Europe [1,64,[68][69][70][71][72], two in China [3,73], and one in Australia [74]. The concentrations of PFAS in the leachates from active landfills vary by several orders of magnitude.…”

Section: Pfas In Landfill Leachatementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, landfill leachates can be a significant source of PFAS contamination in the environment. PFAS should, thus, be removed from leachates before discharging to recipients, such as WWTPs, rivers, or lakes [65].…”

Section: Pfas In Landfill Leachatementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In modern landfills, leachate is collected and treated on-site at local treatment plants and then discharged into a recipient water body or pumped to WWTPs [65]. Particularly in Sweden, the landfill leachate must be treated before it is delivered to WWTPs to meet the quality requirements set by the WWTP operators.…”

Section: Treatment Of Landfill Leachate Contaminated With Pfasmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Challenges in the PFAS Remediation of Soil and Landfill Leachate: A Review

Travar¹,

Uwayezu²,

Kumpienė³

et al. 2020

aeer

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The use of per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has resulted in the contamination of different environmental matrices. In EU countries, the sites contaminated with PFAS are usually remediated by excavating the soil and disposing of it in a landfill, as no in-situ or on-site techniques capable of treating large quantities of soil cost-effectively have been developed. Landfilling of PFAS-contaminated soil is one of the sources of PFAS in landfill leachate. In this paper, the physical and chemical treatment methods to remove PFAS from soils and landfill leachates are described. Among the challenges that may limit the remediation of contaminated sites, we highlight the lack of strict regulation of PFAS in soils, the cost, the ineffectiveness of some methods for the remediation of certain PFAS compounds, and the limitation of the environmental matrices.

show abstract

Landfill leachate contributes per-/poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and pharmaceuticals to municipal wastewater

Abstract: Widespread disposal of landfill leachate to municipal sewer in the US calls for improved understanding of the relative organic-chemical contributions to the WWTP waste stream and associated surface-water discharge to receptors in the environment.

Cited by 96 publications

References 61 publications

Interactions of Per- and Polyfluoralkyl Substances (PFAS) with Landfill Liners

Interactions of Per- and Polyfluoralkyl Substances (PFAS) with Landfill Liners

A Review of the Applications, Environmental Release, and Remediation Technologies of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances

Challenges in the PFAS Remediation of Soil and Landfill Leachate: A Review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About