Sorption of perfluoroalkyl substances to two types of minerals

•PFASs sorbed to alumina but not to silica surface, sorption electrostatically driven.•The sorbed PFAS layer on alumina was found to be highly hydrated.•Gentle rinsing with water removed the sorbed PFAS layer from the alumina surface.•Differences in PFAS solubility is likely to affect environmental behaviour.

The sorption of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) was investigated for two model soil mineral surfaces, alumina (Al2O3) and silica (SiO2), on molecular level using neutron scattering. The PFASs were selected (i.e. perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS)) to examine the role of hydrophobic chain length and hydrophilic functional group on their sorption behaviour. All four PFASs were found to sorb to alumina surface (positively charged) forming a hydrated layer consisting of 50% PFASs. The PFAS solubility limit, which decrease with chain length, was found to strongly influence the sorption behaviour. The sorbed PFAS layer could easily be removed by gentle rinsing with water, indicating release upon rainfall in the environment. No sorption was observed for PFOA and PFOS at silica surface (negatively charged), showing electrostatic interaction being the driving force in the sorption process.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide