{
  "abstract": "In the absence of full-scale incineration studies into the impacts of temperature on thermal destruction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), globally evolving regulatory guidelines have been inconsistent. In this study, we incinerated a fluorotelomerization-based aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) concentrate at different temperatures and feed rates of up to 1500 kg/h in one of the largest hazardous waste incinerators in the world. At secondary combustion chamber temperatures as low as 950 °C and 2 seconds gas residence time, the destruction and removal efficiency for the main AFFF component 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonamide alkylbetaine (6:2 FTAB, a.k.a. Capstone B) exceeded 99.999999% at the highest AFFF feed rate. Non-polar volatile fluorinated compounds targeted by Other Test Method 50 (OTM-50) were below method detection limits, while PFAS concentrations in ashes and scrubber waters were practically indistinguishable from baseline conditions when no fluorine-containing waste was incinerated. PFAS stack emissions into the atmosphere during AFFF treatment were substantially lower than volatile PFAS emissions from a typical landfill. Quantum chemical modeling suggested that a similar treatment efficiency may be expected for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS)-based electrochemical fluorination foams. The findings of our study suggest that hazardous waste incineration may be effective at temperatures well below the 1100 °C required by some current regulations, minimizing fuel consumption, equipment wear, and undesirable side reactions during thermal PFAS destruction.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Environment RU, CSIRO, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, SA, Australia, 5064",
    "Department of Chemistry",
    "Colorado State University",
    "Thomé-Kozmiensky Verlag GmbH",
    "BASF SE",
    "Division 4.4",
    "Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jens Blotevogel",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2740-836X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Wenchao Lu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Anthony K. Rappé"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Olaf Holm"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Marco Gross"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Peter Leube"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Christian Vogel"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1q9cn8aq7dstg.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15008894/v1",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "1q9cn8aq7dstg",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008894/v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2304|Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7213316061",
  "pdf_url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/pdf/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008894/v1",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-16",
  "publisher": "American Chemical Society (ACS)",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1q9cn8aq7dstg.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:19Z",
      "native_id": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15008894",
      "source": "chemrxiv",
      "url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008894/v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:2304|Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research",
      "subfield": "environmental"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Full-scale Hazardous Waste Incineration of PFAS in Fluorotelomer-Based Aqueous Film-Forming Foam",
  "title_text": "Full-scale Hazardous Waste Incineration of PFAS in Fluorotelomer-Based Aqueous Film-Forming Foam",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:19Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1q9cn8aq7dstg",
  "venue": "ChemRxiv",
  "versions": []
}