EOF and target PFAS analysis in surface waters affected by sewage treatment effluents in Berlin, Germany

• DOI: 10.1007/s00216-022-04500-x
• Publication Date: 2023-01-12T05:02:57Z
• Authors: Tengetile Nxumalo; Abdullah Akhdhar; Viktoria Mueller; Fabian Simon; Marcus von der Au; Antje Cossmer; Jens Pfeifer; Eva M. Krupp; Björn Meermann; Andrew Kindness; Jörg Feldmann
• Keywords: 13. Climate action; 11. Sustainability; 01 natural sciences; 6. Clean water; Research Paper; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are emerging organic pollutants can occur in surface groundwater. To identify the degree of pollution water with PFAS, often targeted HPLC-ESI-MS/MS has been employed which commonly 30-40 compounds analyzed. However, other PFAS organofluorines remain undetected. We sampled river Spree Teltow Canal Berlin, Germany, affected by effluent discharge wastewater treatment plants. Here, we high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace molecular absorption spectrometry (HR-CS-GFMAS) for measuring extractable (EOF) compared a mass balance approach total fluorine to identified quantified from analysis. The analysis highlights that EOF range expected an urban system (Winchell et al. Sci Total Environ 774, 2021). downstream discharge, increased one order magnitude, e.g., 40.3 574 ng F L-1, along Canal. From our target analytes, mostly short-chained perfluorinated carboxylic acids sulfonates water, however makes up less than 10% EOF. increase correlates well perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), indicating PFHxA is characteristic discharged but not responsible increase. Hence, it points precursor discharge. study screening using HR-CS-GFMAS necessary full scale regard such as pharmaceutical WWTPs.