Download or read book Investigation of Environmental Fate of Novel Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Soil and Biosolids written by Chen Liu and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have received great attention due to their ubiquitous detection in the environment. As PFASs are among the most persistent organic compounds, and some are toxic and bioaccumulative, it is important to understand concentrations, sources, and environmental fate of PFASs in different environmental matrices. To shed light on the sources and behaviours of PFASs observed in soil, this thesis focused on (1) evaluating biotransformation in aerobic soil of fluorotelomer phosphoric esters (PAPs), and (2) assessing the levels of identifiable and unidentified PFASs in municipal biosolids intended for land application. In the first part of the thesis, biotransformation rates of two major PAPs (6:2 and 8:2 diPAPs) were evaluated in a semi-dynamic system over 112 days. Soil samples were prepared using an improved sample extraction preparation method, which has demonstrated the best recoveries for the diPAPs and the least propensity to cause undesirable solvent-enhanced hydrolysis. At the end of 112 days, the major polyfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids that were formed from 6:2 diPAPs were 9.34% 5:3 polyfluoroalkyl acid (5:3 acid), 6.42% perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) and 5.99% perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA); the major one formed from 8:2 diPAPs was 2.14% perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The half-lives of 6:2 diPAP and 8:2 diPAP were estimated to be 11.5 days and >1000 days, respectively. The approximate linear relationship between the half-lives of eleven PFASs (including 6:2 and 8:2 diPAPs) and their molecular weights suggested that the molecular weight is a good indicator of the general stability of low-molecular-weight PFAS-based compounds. In the second part of the thesis, 12 municipal biosolid samples were collected in Canada. Concentrations of 28 PFASs, including 13 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs, C4-C14, 5:3 and 7:3 acids), 4 perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids (C4, C6, C8, and C10), 4 fluorotelomer alcohols (8:2 FTOH, 6:2 FTOH, 7:2 sFTOH and 5:2 sFTOH), 3 fluorotelomer sulfonic acids (8:2 FTS, 6:2 FTS and 4:2 FTS), and 4 PAPs (8:2 diPAP, 6:2 diPAP, 8:2 monoPAP, and 6:2 monoPAP), were determined. The predominant PFASs in most of the samples were perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS), 5:3 acid, 6:2 diPAP, 8:2 FTOH and 6:2 FTOH, but not PFCAs or perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). The significantly different PFAS profiles from those in the U.S. biosolids suggested the use of different PFAS products in Canada. A persulfate oxidation based assay was applied to determine the level of unidentified PFASs in biosolids. Further studies are needed to optimize the assay to determine whether the approach is feasible for biosolid samples. This study has contributed to a deeper understanding of environmental fate and potential sources of selected PFAS species in soil environment." --

Download or read book Environmental Fate of Novel Polyfluoroalkyl Surfactants in Surface Soil written by Sandra Mejia Avendaño and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The use of aqueous film forming foams (AFFFs) to extinguish accidental fires or for firefighting training purposes is a major source of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) to the environment. PFASs are recognized as contaminants of emerging concern due to their bioaccumulation, persistence and toxicity. Being designed to be chemically stable, PFASs remain in the environment for long periods of time. Consequently, the understanding of their environmental fate is of significance for the assessment, management and remediation of impacted sites. Recent reports on the presence of a large number of PFASs with non-fluorinated functionalities -- referred to as novel -- in AFFF formulations reveal a substantial knowledge gap in regards to their fate once released to the environment. The research starts by assessing the analytical techniques used to characterize PFASs in soil. Sites impacted by AFFFs are likely to present high concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons. The effect of soil properties and hydrocarbon co-contamination on the extraction of PFASs from soil was studied. The extraction method developed was then used to characterize soils that were impacted by the firefighting effort following the accidental derailment of a train carrying crude oil in Lac-Mégantic, Québec, and to qualitatively and quantitatively characterize the PFAS contamination.Biotransformation was found to be a major environmental process undergone by AFFF components. Therefore, the biotransformation potential in soil of two fluorinated surfactants used in AFFF formulations was further investigated. Finally, the mobility in surface soils of nine PFASs relevant to AFFF formulations was explored through batch sorption experiments. The findings of this research emphasize the different behaviors of novel PFASs contained in AFFF formulations as opposed to the widely studied PFOS, PFOA and related perfluoroalkyl acids. As the presence of more novel PFASs is revealed across impacted sites, improved understanding of their environmental fate and effects is necessary for a proper assessment and management of such sites." --

Download or read book Forever Chemicals written by David M. Kempisty and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2021-07-28 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forever Chemicals: Environmental, Economic, and Social Equity Concerns with PFAS in the Environment provides the reader with an understanding of the complex and interwoven issues associated with per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) in our environment. The chapters provide in-depth perspective into various issues, including health, regulation, detection, clean-up strategies and technologies, and more. Taken together or as the reader’s interests lead them, the variety of topics covered in the book present a balanced perspective on this complex topic. It will address the current state of PFAS and where indicators are pointing for future developments. The book is also a deeper investigation of the regulatory challenges, analytical hurdles, and toxicological progress to date for the suite of PFAS chemicals. Features Explains the trends that will affect future policy and regulatory decisions Looks holistically at 4000+ PFAS chemicals Includes PFAS risk assessments at contaminated sites and biomonitoring insights Provides in-depth discussions on remediation technologies Illustrates quality and diversified content Provides a balanced perspective on this complex topic

Download or read book Perfluorinated Chemicals PFCs written by Nicholas P. Cheremisinoff and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2016-11-29 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new volume provides a timely study on the environmental challenges from a specific class of perfluorinated chemical compounds (PFCs) that are now being recognized as a worldwide health threat. Recent studies report that levels of classes of PFCs known as polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl (PFASs) exceed federally recommended safety levels in public drinking-water supplies for 6 million people in the United States and that as many as 100 million people could be at risk from exposure to these chemicals. These chemicals occur globally in wildlife and humans. Both PFCAs and PFSAs have been produced for more than 50 years, but have only become of interest to regulators and environmentalists since the late 1990s. Recent advances in analytical methodology has enabled widespread detection in the environment and humans at trace levels. These toxic chemicals have been found in outdoor and indoor air, surface and drinking water, house dust, animal tissue, human blood serum, and human breast milk. Of great concern to communities is the presence of these compounds in a number of drinking water supplies in the U.S. and other countries. This new volume provides a timely explanation of the chemicals, provides a detailed review of the regulations both in the US and European Community, explains the health risk literature, and then explores in great detail available treatment technologies. The volume is a must for public water supply facilities, industrial operations that have historically used these chemicals and face legacy pollution issues, policy makers and the general public.

Download or read book Toxicological Effects of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances written by Jamie C. DeWitt and published by Humana Press. This book was released on 2015-04-14 with total page 500 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book serves as a timely and comprehensive overview of the latest science for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), covering the development of methods for assessing PFASs in biological fluids and tissues as well as the current knowledge regarding their toxicity to vertebrate organisms. This book includes chapters on human and wildlife exposure/body burdens, reviews of metabolism and toxicological effects by organ system/developmental stage and aspects of PFAS toxicity that are driving PFAS research and regulatory oversight. Toxicological Effects of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances provide critical assessments of the most controversial topics surrounding toxicological evaluation of PFASs to give readers an expert perspective on the issues. Emphasis is placed on the integration of modes and mechanisms of action with functional endpoints that are relevant to human and wildlife health. This book will be a useful resource for toxicologists, environmental chemists, risk assessors and researchers with an interest in the class of compounds known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

Download or read book Perfluoroalkyl Substances in the Environment written by David M. Kempisty and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2018-08-06 with total page 498 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), often referred to as per- (and poly) fluorinated compounds (PFCs), have been used for years in many everyday3⁄4 and some lifesaving3⁄4 products. However, their use has been linked to adverse health effects in humans, a problem compounded by their persistence in the environment. This book discusses the various challenges of PFAS in our environment today, including their historical use as well as their chemical and toxicological properties. It also presents robust discussion of analytical challenges and special considerations in sampling. The work goes on to give practical recommendations for dealing with these compounds in today's dynamic regulatory landscape and includes several chapters on various remediation techniques. Key Features: Comprehensive overview of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) historical use and chemical/physical properties which help us understand their persistence, transport, and transformation pathways in the environment In-depth analysis of PFAS toxicology Detailed descriptions of conventional and state-of-the-art remediation technologies Practical recommendations for dealing with PFAS in a dynamic regulatory landscape Robust discussion of important sampling and analytical considerations Perfluoroalkyl Substances in the Environment: Theory, Practice, and Innovation explores the challenges across the topical areas of regulation and management, toxicology, environmental remediation, and analytical sampling and analysis.Readers will find this text helpful in understanding complexities associated with PFAS and informing management strategies to effectively protect this and future generations.

Download or read book Environmental Chemistry of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Aqueous Film Forming Foams written by Lisa Anne D'Agostino and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) release has been known to result in environmental contamination with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) for over fifteen years, identities of individual PFASs in AFFFs have been largely unknown, proprietary information. Using mixed-mode ion exchange solid phase extraction (SPE), high resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS), quadrupole time-of-flight (qTOF) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), and liquid chromatography (LC)-MS/MS, 103 individual PFASs were identified in AFFFs and surfactant concentrates, including multiple chain-length congeners. Aerobic wastewater treatment plant sludge biodegradation of two AFFF components, 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonamide alkylbetaine (FTAB) and alkylamine (FTAA), was investigated revealing biodegradation to short-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs) and known PFCA precursors. Additional degradation products were also identified, including 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonamide (FTSAm) as a degradation product of both 6:2 FTAB and 6:2 FTAA, and six additional degradation products of 6:2 FTAA. A survey of selected Canadian surface waters for AFFF-related PFASs using SPE and LC-MS/MS revealed that several AFFF-related PFASs could be detected in urban and AFFF-impacted surface waters. These included FTABs and fluorotelomer betaines (FTBs), which were the fluorotelomer PFASs with the highest maximum concentrations. Other PFASs, such as perfluorohexane sulfonamide (FHxSA), 6:2 FTSAm, and 6:2 fluorotelomer mercaptoalkylamido sulfonate sulfone (FTSAS-SO2) were identified in some samples. Extraction and analysis of sediment from an AFFF-impacted river and batch sorption experiments with 6:2 FTAA and 6:2 FTAB in an agricultural soil provide preliminary insights into sorption behaviour of AFFF components, where longer chain-length FTBs were apparently more sorptive than shorter chain-lengths and 6:2 FTAA was more sorptive than 6:2 FTAB. This work is significant in identifying numerous PFASs found in AFFF that require further research in regards to their environmental fate and toxicology, demonstrating the presence of AFFF-related PFASs in Canadian environmental samples, and investigating biodegradation forming PFCAs and sorption of selected PFASs found in AFFFs.

Download or read book The Triazine Herbicides written by Janis Mc Farland Ph.D. and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2011-08-19 with total page 604 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past 50 years, triazines have made a great impact on agriculture and world hunger by assisting in the development of new farming methods, providing greater farming and land use capabilities, and increasing crop yields. Triazines are registered in over 80 countries and save billions of dollars a year. The Triazine Herbicides is the one book that presents a comprehensive view of the total science and agriculture of these chemicals. With emphasis on how the chemicals are studied and developed, reviewed, and used at the agricultural level this book provides valuable insight into the benefits of triazine herbicides for sustainable agriculture. - Presents previously unpublished information on the discovery, development and marketing of herbicides - Includes a vital section on the origin, use, economics and fate of triazine herbicides - Covers benefits of triazines in corn and sorghum, sugarcane, citrus, fruit and nut crops - Establishes best management practice and environmental benefits of use in conservation tillage

Download or read book The cost of inaction written by Gretta Goldenman and published by Nordic Council of Ministers. This book was released on 2019-03-17 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: PFAS (per and polyfluoroalkylsubstances) are known to be extremely difficult to degrade in the environment and to be bioaccumulative and toxic. Exposure to PFAS is suspected to increase the risk of adverse health effects, such as impacts on the thyroid gland, the liver, fat metabolism and the immune system. This study estimates the socioeconomic costs that may result from impacts on human health and the environment from the use of PFAS. Better awareness of the costs and problems associated with PFAS exposure will assist decision-makers and the general public to make more efficient and timely risk management decisions. Findings indicate that the costs are substantial, with annual health-related costs estimated to 2.8 – 4.6 billion EUR for the Nordic countries and 52 – 84 billion EUR for all EEA countries. Overall non-health costs are estimated at 46 million – 11 billion EUR for the Nordic countries.Upon request the excel spreadsheets used for the monetarisation and valuation in this report can also be provided along with a guidance on how to use the estimation of costs for value transfer. Please contact any of the consultants or members of the steering group from the Swedish Chemicals Agency or the Danish Environmental Protection Agency if you are interested in receiving these excel spreadsheets.

Download or read book Polyfluorinated Chemicals and Transformation Products written by Thomas P. Knepper and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-09-21 with total page 183 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Due to their unparalleled effectiveness and efficiency, polyfluorinated chemicals (PFC) have become essential in numerous technical applications. However, many PFCs brought to market show limited biodegradability, and their environmental persistence combined with toxic and bioaccumulative potential have become a matter of concern in some instances. This volume highlights the synthesis of PFCs, focusing on substances with improved application and environmental properties, which are a challenge for synthetic chemists. Further, modern mass spectrometric techniques for the detection and identification of biotransformation products of PFCs are described. The sorption and leaching behavior of PFC in soil is also addressed in order to predict their fate in the environment. Several contributions discuss the monitoring of PFCs in European surface, ground and drinking waters, treatment options for PFC removal from drinking water, occurrence in food, and the human biomonitoring of PFCs.

Download or read book Environmental Chemistry of Commercial Fluorinated Surfactants written by Holly Lee and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 714 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Per and polyfluorinated substances in the Nordic Countries written by Stefan Posner and published by Nordic Council of Ministers. This book was released on 2013-06-19 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Tema Nord report presents a study based on open information and custom market research to review the most common perfluorinated substances (PFC) with less focus on PFOS and PFOA. The study includes three major parts:1) Identification of relevant per-and polyfluorinated substances and their use in various industrial sectors in the Nordic market by interviews with major players and database information; 2) Emissions to and occurence in the Nordic environment of the substances described in 1); 3) A summary of knowledge of the toxic effects on humans and the environment of substances prioritized in 2); There is a lack of physical chemical data, analystical reference substances, human and environmental occurrence and toxicology data, as well as market information regarding PFCs other than PFOA and PFOS and the current legislation cannot enforce disclosure of specific PFC substance information.

Download or read book OECD Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals Section 1 Test No 106 Adsorption Desorption Using a Batch Equilibrium Method written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2000-01-21 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Test Guideline is aimed at estimating the adsorption/desorption behaviour of a chemical on different soil types. The goal is to obtain a sorption value which can be used to predict partitioning under a variety of environmental conditions; to ...

Download or read book Bioaccumulation Fate and Treatment of Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances PFAS written by Asa James Lewis and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large and diverse class of man-made chemicals that are persistent and difficult to degrade in the environment. PFAS are characterized by the presence of carbon-fluorine bonds, the strongest bond in organic chemistry, which leads to great thermal and chemical stability. Often these properties provide industrial and consumer products with chemical and temperature resistance, surfactant behavior, and stain or water resistance. Currently, the problem of PFAS in the environment starts with their synthetic generation, use in products, and subsequent release to the environment where they can bioaccumulate and persist. PFAS have globally impacted aquatic ecosystems through major pathways such as direct release into the environment (e.g., fire-fighting trainings with aqueous film forming foams (AFFF)), inadequately treated industrial effluents, land-applied biosolids, and atmospheric deposition. Once released to the environment, specifically in water, many PFAS compounds tend to accumulate in ecosystems through bioaccumulation. In water, some PFAS are mobile, pose risks to all levels of an ecosystem, and are particularly difficult to remove or degrade. To address the release and accumulation in the environment, major strides must be made in terms of regulations, development of analytical techniques, mechanistic pathways understanding related to fate and transport, and advancement of treatment technologies to address the pollution whether it is large scale or site-specific remediation efforts. The goal of this dissertation is to provide further insight into bioaccumulation of PFAS in aquatic matrices, fate and transport in land-applied biosolids, and to develop a plasma treatment technology to destroy PFAS. Regarding bioaccumulation in aquatic matrices, geochemical factors have been demonstrated to impact PFAS partitioning in aquatic ecosystems and to impact bioaccumulation, but little is known related to the mechanistic understanding of the effects of elevated divalent cation concentrations of magnesium (Mg2+) and calcium (Ca2+) on macroinvertebrates. Therefore, as part of this dissertation, the impacts of Mg2+ and Ca2+ on PFAS bioaccumulation in three different macroinvertebrates species, Lumbriculus variegatus (L. variegatus), Elliptio complanata (E. complanata), and Physella acuta (P. acuta) were investigated, where it was demonstrated that the increased divalent cations concentrations impact the bioavailability of PFAS and the mechanisms responsible were discussed. L. variegatus had significantly higher PFAS bioaccumulation than P. acuta and E. complanata, likely due to higher levels of activity and interactions/ingestion of the contaminated sediment. "High Mg2+" (7.5 mM Mg2+) and "High Ca2+" (7.5 mM Ca2+) conditions generally had observable higher bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) than the "Reference Condition" (0.2 mM Ca2+ and 0.2 mM Mg2+) for PFAS with perfluorinated chain lengths greater than six carbons. Long-chain PFAS dominated the PFAS profiles of the macroinvertebrates for all classes of compounds studied, PFCA, PFSA, and FTS. These results indicate that the specific organism studied is most impactful regarding bioaccumulation, but divalent cation concentration has observable impacts between species depending on the environmental conditions. With respect to the release of PFAS from land-applied biosolids, the influence of microbial weathering on the partitioning of PFAS over a period of three months was investigated to see the impacts on fate and transport in biosolids. We found that the PFAS biosolids-water partitioning coefficients (Kd) were demonstrated to decrease, on average, 0.4 log over the course of the study. Additionally, the solid characteristics were characterized (lipids, proteins, and organic matter) and were observed to have sharp decreases over the first ten days, aligning with the most rapid changes in Kd. As a result, a multiple linear regression model was built to predict PFAS partitioning behavior in biosolids based on the biosolids characteristics and PFAS characteristics. Among the evaluated independent variables, statistical analyses demonstrated that the most significant solids characteristics that impacted PFAS partitioning were organic matter, proteins, lipids, and molecular weight of organics. A multiple linear regression model was built to predict PFAS partitioning behavior in biosolids based on solid characteristics of the biosolids and PFAS characteristics with a R2 value of 0.7391 when plotting predicted and measured log Kd. The findings from this work reveal that microbial weathering can play a significant role in the eventual fate and transport of PFAS and their precursors from biosolids. Since PFAS have been demonstrated herein to accumulate in aquatic matrices and rapidly partition from biosolids during biotic weathering processes, there is a need to effectively remove PFAS from water to decrease the environmental accumulation and transport. We report as part of this dissertation the development of a non-thermal plasma treatment system to degrade PFAS in liquid solutions. It was observed that this technology was able to rapidly degrade PFAS compounds but the degree of degradation and defluorination was highly depending on perfluorinated alkyl chain lengths, with those compounds with greater than 8 perfluorinated carbons achieving greater than 90% removal in one hour of treatment. The combination of the energy efficiency of this treatment being on the order of magnitude of other emerging destructive technologies and its effectiveness shows promise for the application of non-thermal plasmas for PFAS removal in water. The lowest EEo for PFOS was 23.2 kWh/m3/order and 213.4 kWh/m3/order for PFOA, similar with existing technologies (which range from 10 to 10,000 kWh/m3/order). These results indicate that non-thermal air plasma discharges are promising technologies for treatment of PFAS that should be further researched and developed.

Download or read book Soil pollution a hidden reality written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2018-04-30 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This document presents key messages and the state-of-the-art of soil pollution, its implications on food safety and human health. It aims to set the basis for further discussion during the forthcoming Global Symposium on Soil Pollution (GSOP18), to be held at FAO HQ from May 2nd to 4th 2018. The publication has been reviewed by the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soil (ITPS) and contributing authors. It addresses scientific evidences on soil pollution and highlights the need to assess the extent of soil pollution globally in order to achieve food safety and sustainable development. This is linked to FAO’s strategic objectives, especially SO1, SO2, SO4 and SO5 because of the crucial role of soils to ensure effective nutrient cycling to produce nutritious and safe food, reduce atmospheric CO2 and N2O concentrations and thus mitigate climate change, develop sustainable soil management practices that enhance agricultural resilience to extreme climate events by reducing soil degradation processes. This document will be a reference material for those interested in learning more about sources and effects of soil pollution.

Download or read book Guide to Fluorine NMR for Organic Chemists written by William R. Dolbier, Jr. and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2016-08-24 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following its well-received predecessor, this book offers an essential guide to chemists for understanding fluorine in spectroscopy. With over 1000 compounds and 100 spectra, the second edition adds new data – featuring fluorine effects on nitrogen NMR, chemical shifts, and coupling constants. • Explains how to successfully incorporate fluorine into target molecules and utilize fluorine substituents to structurally characterize organic compounds • Includes new data on nitrogen NMR, focusing on N-15, to portray the influence of fluorine upon nitrogen NMR chemical shifts and coupling constants • Expands on each chapter from the first edition with additional data and updated discussion from recent findings • "The flawless ordering of material covered in this stand-alone volume is such that information can be found very easily." – Angewandte Chemie review of the first edition, 2010

Download or read book Sorption of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances PFASs by Natural and Anthropogenic Carbonaceous Sorbents written by Yue Zhi and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "As a large number of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) has been extensively used in industrial and consumer products, many of these species are detected in the global environment and biota, including some carcinogenic ones. Perfluorooctane sulfonic (PFOS) and carboxylic acids (PFOA) are examples of PFASs currently subject to strict regulatory and scientific scrutiny. There are many other analogous compounds, such as those used in aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs), for which environmental fate and effect are little known. In addition, high chemical stability and hydrophilicity of PFASs pose challenges to effective treatment and mitigation of those present in groundwater and drinking water sources. The objective of this research was to elucidate interactions between PFASs and naturally occurring and engineered carbonaceous materials, the knowledge base needed for PFAS risk assessment and treatment. The research first examined the interactions between commercial adsorbents with two most prominent PFAS species (PFOA and PFOS), to identify the ways in which water treatment efficiency for the PFASs can be improved. The study assessed the sorption of PFOS and PFOA onto as-received and surface-modified carbonaceous adsorbents using single-solute batch sorption experiments, and the main carbon characteristics controlling the uptake of PFASs were identified. Adsorbent surface chemistry played a more important role in controlling the extent of uptake than physical properties. High carbon surface basicity was closely linked to high PFOS and PFOA affinity. Prior to any modification of the carbon materials, synthetic polymer-based Ambersorb and activated carbon fibers were the most effective adsorbents due to their basic character. Surface modification, more so with ammonia gas treatment than with high-temperature thermal treatment, greatly improved sorption of PFOS and PFOA by wood-based carbons and activated carbon fibers. The research then focused on the role that soil organic matter (SOM) and pyrogenic carbonaceous materials (PCMs) played in determining the transport potential of a range of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) and their chemical precursors (PrePFAAs). A novel dynamic HPLC-based column method was developed to determine distribution coefficients (Koc) between SOM and water at various conditions. PrePFAAs with betaine, sulfonamide betaine, and quaternary amine functional groups exhibited higher Koc values than the PFAAs with the same perfluoroalkyl chain length. Calcium ion had a positive impact on the sorption of anionic PFAAs to SOM while showing a negative impact on the PrePFAAs. Moreover, an increase in pH reduced sorption of all the PFASs to SOM. In comparison, sorption of PFASs to PCMs (charcoal and soot) was stronger and less linear than SOM, indicating that PCMs could be a more significant sink to PFASs in the firefighting training sites where regular releases of AFFFs resulted in PFAS pollution of soil and groundwater. The role of PCMs was more pronounced than SOM at lower aqueous concentrations without an attenuation effect. Additionally, apparent sorption-desorption hysteresis exhibited by PCMs was sorbate-specific, and the soot had the highest hysteresis among all the sorbents. These findings illustrate the importance of considering the surface chemistry of adsorbents, along with solution chemistry when investigating PFAS uptake by carbonaceous materials of different origins. Furthermore, the results obtained emphasize the need to evaluate the interactions between PrePFAAs and PCMs, in the efforts to delineate the behaviours of PFASs in soil and groundwater impacted by AFFFs, as well as to decide remediation strategies. " --