Payam Arabkhani

Title : Recent advances in advanced oxidation processes in treating PFAS contaminated wastewaters

Abstract:

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are highly fluorinated aliphatic synthetic compounds in which employed worldwide due to their outstanding chemical and physical properties. Nevertheless, PFAS are highly chemical stable and reported to be persistent and bio-accumulative organic pollutants that are extremely toxic to living beings. Moreover, these substances have been detected in a wide variety of water samples including seawater, drinking water, and ground water. Therefore, in recent years, different technologies have been developed aiming to purify water contaminated with PFAS compounds. PFAS are very persistent and their degradation requires advanced degradation techniques. One of the most widely used technologies for this purpose is advanced oxidation processes (AOP). This study aims to evaluate the use of AOP in PFAS degradation based on their efficiency, parameters influencing each process, advantages, disadvantages, and associated research challenges. According to the results, electrochemical oxidation, sonochemical oxidation, heterogeneous photocatalysis, and plasma stand out among the AOP applied for PFAS degradation. In addition, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) were found to be the main toxic compounds studied.

Audience Take Away:

• In this lecture, an analysis of current literature on the applications of advanced oxidation processes for PFAS remediation in water is presented, focusing on the materials and methods employed with an eye on economic viability. This lecture starts with a brief overview of PFAS applications and environmental and health concerns, as well as a comparison of conventional vs. emerging treatment methods and related analytical techniques. An extensive review is then presented on recent treatment methods, with an update on materials, methods, and the corresponding reaction mechanisms. Finally, an overview of the employed treatment methods and an economic analysis provides a perspective on possible future outcomes for PFAS treatments as well as costs and efficiencies.

Biography:

Payam Arabkhani is an environmental chemist and a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry who has conducted cutting-edge research in the water treatment field. His research collaborations have led to the publishing of over 20 scientific papers in some top-ranked journals in the field. He currently serves as a reviewer for various prestigious journals from Elsevier, ACS, RSC, Springer-Nature, and many other internationally well-known publishers. He also has served as an early career editorial board member for the Journal of Water Process Engineering (Elsevier), one of the leading journals on the subject of water treatment that publishes high impact research on the sustainable engineering of water and wastewater treatment processes.