Per- and polyfluoroalkyl
substances (PFAS) are very stable
and
ubiquitously distributed in terrestrial and aquatic environments,
and treatment and remediation techniques for the removal of PFAS are
urgently needed. In this study, mesoporous silica matrix SBA-15 grafted
with alkyl amino groups was used to remove perfluorooctanoate (PFOA)
from aqueous solutions. The amino groups were grafted onto SBA-15
by the condensation of alkyl amino silanes. The synthesized adsorbents
were studied by SEM, TEM, IR, low-temperature nitrogen sorption, and
XRD. The solid-state and liquid 19F NMR spectroscopy, EDX,
and LC-MS/MS results showed high adsorption efficiency and rapid reaction
kinetics. In freshly prepared solutions and on the surface of the
sorbents, the presence of PFOA micelles was observed. Furthermore,
the introduction of amine-containing groups into the structure of
the sorbent allows the sorption of up to 649 mg/g of PFOA from solutions.
Results showed that the protonated surface amino groups and PFOA interacted
electrostatically. The obtained results open perspectives for producing
adsorbents for facile extraction of PFAS.