Measurement report: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in particulate matter (PM10) from activated sludge aeration

Environmental pollution with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly referred to as “forever chemicals”, received significant attention due to their environmental persistence and bioaccumulation tendencies. Effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been reported to contain significant levels of PFAS. Wastewater treatment processes such as aeration have the potential to transfer PFAS into the atmosphere. However, understanding their fate during sewage treatment remains challenging. This study aims to assess aerosolisation of PFAS during a WWTP process. Special emphasis is given to new-generation and legacy PFAS (e.g. perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)) as they are still observed in sewage after years of restrictions. Particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 µm (PM ₁₀) collected above a scaled-down activated sludge tank treating domestic sewage for a population of >10 000 people in the UK was analysed for a range of short-, medium-, and long-chain PFAS. Eight PFAS including perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), PFOA, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), PFOS, and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) were detected in the PM ₁₀. The presence of legacy PFOA and PFOS in the PM ₁₀ samples, despite being restricted for over a decade, raises concerns about their movement through domestic and industrial sewage cycles. The total PFAS concentrations in PM ₁₀ were 15.49 and 4.25 pg m ⁻³ during autumn and spring campaigns, respectively. PFBA was the most abundant of the PFAS, suggesting a shift towards short-chain PFAS use. Our results suggest that wastewater treatment (WWT) processes such as activated sludge aeration could aerosolise PFAS into airborne PM.