Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Formation of PFOA from 8:2 FTOH in closed-bottle experiments with brackish water

  • Nordic Research on Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The formation of perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) from 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecanol (8:2 FTOH) was studied for the first time in laboratory experiments with brackish water. The water samples were collected from the Baltic Sea, which is one of the largest brackish water areas in the world and is polluted with PFOA and other perfluorinated compounds. The formation of PFOA was studied in closed-bottle experiments at different water temperatures. As a reference experiment, a modified OECD 310 test was conducted with sludge from a wastewater treatment plant and with brackish water. The PFOA and 8:2 FTOH were concentrated from water samples by solid-phase extraction (SPE) and were analysed using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. The effect of oxygen concentration on the formation of PFOA was studied using surface water samples with high and low oxygen contents. Other experiments were performed with oxygen-rich surface water and oxygen-deficient bottom water. The formation of PFOA was observed in all experiments; it was higher in the trial performed with brackish water than in the reference test carried out with sludge. Clear temperature dependence was observed in the formation of PFOA in brackish water tests; after a 30-day test period, a sixfold increase was observed in the amount of PFOA in surface water between the temperatures of 15 and 20 °C. Microbes were suggested as the major cause of the formation of PFOA, but other environmental characteristics, such as oxygen, could also affect the formation potential of PFOA.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahrens L, Shoeib M, Harner T, Lee SC, Guo R, Reiner EJ (2011) Wastewater treatment plant and landfills as sources of polyfluoroalkyl compounds to the atmosphere. Environ Sci Technol 45:8098–8105

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Arvaniti OS, Ventouri EI, Stasinakis AS, Thomaidis NS (2012) Occurrence of different classes of perfluorinated compounds in Greek wastewater treatment plants and determination of their solid–water distribution coefficients. J Hazard Mater 239–240:24–31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becker AM, Gerstmann S, Frank H (2008) Perfluorooctane surfactants in waste waters, the major source of river pollution. Chemosphere 72:115–121

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Celander MC (2011) Cocktail effects on biomarker responses in fish. Aquat Toxicol 105:72–77

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dinglasan MJ, Ye Y, Edwards EA, Mabury SA (2004) Fluorotelomer alcohol biodegradation yields poly- and perfluorinated acids. Environ Sci Technol 38:2857–2864

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ellington JJ, Washington JW, Evans JJ, Jenkins TM, Hafner SC, Neill MP (2009) Analysis of fluorotelomer alcohols in soils: optimization of extraction and chromatography. J Chromatogr A 1216:5347–5354

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fiedler S, Pfister G, Schramm K-W (2010) Poly- and perfluorinated compounds in household consumer products. Toxicol Environ Chem 92:1801–1811

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gauthier SA, Mabury SA (2005) Aqueous photolysis of 8:2 fluorotelomer alcohol. Environ Toxicol Chem 24:1837–1846

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hoikkala L, Lahtinen T, Perttilä M, Lingell R (2012) Seasonal dynamics of dissolved organic matter on a coastal salinity gradient in the northern Baltic Sea. Cont Shelf Res 45:1–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaartokallio H, Tuomainen J, Kuosa H, Kuparinen J, Martikainen PJ, Servomaa K (2008) Succession of sea-ice bacterial communities in the Baltic Sea fast ice. Polar Biol 31:783–793

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kallenborn R, Berger U, Järnberg U (2004) Perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFAS) in the Nordic environment. Nordic Council of Ministers, Copenhagen, p 552

    Google Scholar 

  • Kissa E (2001) Fluorinated surfactants and repellents, 2nd edn. Marcel Dekker, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsen BS, Stchur P, Szostek B, Bachmura SF, Rowand RC, Prickett KB, Korzeniowski SH, Buck RC (2006) Method development for the determination of residual fluorotelomer raw materials and perflurooctanoate in fluorotelomer-based products by gas chromatography and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr A 1110:117–124

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu J, Lee LS, Nies LF, Nakatsu CH, Turco RF (2007) Biotransformation of 8:2 fluorotelomer alcohol in soil and by soil bacteria isolates. Environ Sci Technol 41:8024–8030

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Loganathan BG, Sajwan KS, Sinclair E, Senthil Kumar K, Kannan K (2007) Perfluoroalkyl sulfonates and perfluorocarboxylates in two wastewater treatment facilities in Kentucky and Georgia. Water Res 41:4611–4620

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mahmoud MAM, Kärrman A, Oono S, Harada KH, Koizumi A (2009) Polyfluorinated telomers in precipitation and surface water in an urban area of Japan. Chemosphere 74:467–472

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Martin JW, Kannan K, Berger U, De Voogt P, Field J, Franklin J, Giesy JP, Harner T, Muir DCG, Scott B, Kaiser M, Järnberg U, Jones KC, Mabury SA, Schroeder H, Simcik M, Sottani C, Van Bavel B, Kärrman A, Lindström G, Van Leeuwen S (2004) Analytical challenges hamper perfluoroalkyl research. Environ Sci Technol 38:248A–255A

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • OECD (2006) Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals Test No. 310: Ready Biodegradability—CO2 in sealed vessels (Headspace Test). OECD, Paris

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips MM, Dinglasan-Panlilio MJA, Mabury SA, Solomon KR, Sibley PK (2007) Fluorotelomer acids are more toxic than perfluorinated acids. Environ Sci Technol 41:7159–7163

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prevedouros K, Cousins IT, Buck RC, Korzeniowski SH (2006) Sources, fate and fransport of perfluorocarboxylates. Environ Sci Technol 40:32–44

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Russell MH, Berti WR, Szostek B, Buck RC (2008) Investigation of the biodegradation potential of a fluoroacrylate polymer product in aerobic soils. Environ Sci Technol 42:800–807

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sáez M, de Voogt P, Parsons JR (2008) Persistence of perfluoroalkylated substances in closed bottle tests with municipal sewage sludge. Environ Sci Pollut Res 15:472–477

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stock NL, Lau FK, Ellis DA, Martin JW, Muir DCG, Mabury SA (2004) Polyfluorinated telomer alcohols and sulfonamides in the North American troposphere. Environ Sci Technol 38:991–996

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Szostek B, Prickett KB, Buck RC (2006) Determination of fluorotelomer alcohols by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry in water. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 20:2837–2844

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Taniyasu S, Kannan K, So MK, Gulkowska A, Sinclair E, Okazawa T, Yamashita N (2005) Analysis of fluorotelomer alcohols, fluorotelomer acids, and short- and long-chain perfluorinated acids in water and biota. J Chromatogr A 1093:89–97

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • van Zelm R, Huijbregts MAJ, Russell MH, Jager T, van de Meent D (2008) Modeling the environmental fate of perfluorooctanoate and its precursors from global fluorotelomer acrylate polymer use. Environ Toxicol Chem 27:2216–2223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vierke L, Staude C, Biegel-Engler A, Drost W, Schulte C (2012) Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)- main concerns and regulatory developments in Europe from an environmental point of view. Environ Sci Eur 24:16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang N, Szostek B, Folsom PW, Sulecki LM, Capka V, Buck RC, Berti WR, Gannon JT (2005) Aerobic biotransformation of 14C-labeled 8-2 telomer B alcohol by activated sludge from a domestic sewage treatment plant. Environ Sci Technol 39:531–538

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang N, Szostek B, Buck RC, Folsom PW, Sulecki LM, Gannon JT (2009) 8-2 fluorotelomer alcohol aerobic soil biodegradation: pathways, metabolites, and metabolic yields. Chemosphere 75:1089–1096

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xiao F, Halbach TR, Simcik MF, Gulliver JS (2012) Input characterization of perfluoroalkyl substances in wastewater treatment plants: Source discrimination by exploratory data analysis. Water Res 46:3101–3109

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yoo H, Washington JW, Ellington JJ, Jenkins TM, Neill MP (2010) Concentrations, distribution, and peristence of fluorotelomer alcohols in sludge-applied soils near Decatur, Alabama, USA. Environ Sci Technol 44:8397–8402

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation through a grant awarded for this research. We thank the laboratory staff of Tvärminne Zoological Station for assistance in this work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Juha Keränen & Juha Knuutinen

  2. Research and Innovation Laboratory, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Heidi Ahkola & Sirpa Herve

  3. Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palménin tie 260, 10900, Hanko, Finland

    Marko Reinikainen & Jaana Koistinen

Authors
  1. Juha Keränen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Heidi Ahkola
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Juha Knuutinen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sirpa Herve
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Marko Reinikainen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jaana Koistinen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Juha Keränen.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Keränen, J., Ahkola, H., Knuutinen, J. et al. Formation of PFOA from 8:2 FTOH in closed-bottle experiments with brackish water. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20, 8001–8012 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1975-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1975-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation