Which natural organic matter components limit PFAS removal by activated carbon?
6 affiliations
- 1Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
- 2wageningen
- 3Politecnico Milano, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (DICA) - Environmental Section, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
- 4Politecnico Milano
- 5Evides (Netherlands)
- 6Wageningen University & Research
Abstract
PFAS are persistent micropollutants subject to strict drinking water regulations. Although granular activated carbon treatment can effectively remove PFAS from water, early breakthrough, especially for short-chain PFAS, requires frequent regeneration and increases treatment costs. While many studies have related the presence of natural organic matter (NOM) to early breakthrough, the mechanisms affecting PFAS adsorption remain unclear. In this study, we used resin and membrane fractionation to isolate distinct NOM fractions based on chemical characteristics and molecular size. Batch isotherm, kinetic, and column experiments showed that the presence of the <3 kDa fraction significantly reduced short-chain PFAS adsorption. As low molecular weight compounds (<3 kDa) are consistently detected in source waters at concentrations comparable to or higher than those included in this study, their removal is crucial to improving short-chain PFAS removal during drinking water treatment. Conversely, long-chain PFAS adsorption was not notably affected by molecular size fractions but was significantly reduced in the presence of the hydrophobic neutral (HON) fraction. The LC-OCD analysis indicated that HON consists of compounds with similar molecular characteristics as long-chain PFAS, suggesting direct competition for adsorption sites between long-chain PFAS and HON. The HON fraction is typically present at lower concentrations compared to other NOM fractions in natural waters. This low concentration of the HON helps explain the delayed breakthrough observed for long-chain PFAS, in contrast to short-chain PFAS, whose breakthrough is rapid due to the high concentration of the <3 kDa fraction. We found that the presence of specific NOM fractions can indicate reduced PFAS removal, suggesting that NOM fractionation techniques could be integrated into monitoring procedures at drinking water facilities, as the presence of specific fractions can indicate reduced PFAS removal.
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BibTeX
@article{pranic2026which,
title = {{Which natural organic matter components limit PFAS removal by activated carbon?}},
author = {Marko Pranić and Beatrice Cantoni and David Johannes de Ridder and Manuela Antonelli and J.E. Dykstra and Albert van der Wal},
journal = {Chemical Engineering Journal},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1016/j.cej.2026.178076},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2026.178076},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Which natural organic matter components limit PFAS removal by activated carbon?
AU - Marko Pranić
AU - Beatrice Cantoni
AU - David Johannes de Ridder
AU - Manuela Antonelli
AU - J.E. Dykstra
AU - Albert van der Wal
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/04
JO - Chemical Engineering Journal
DO - 10.1016/j.cej.2026.178076
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2026.178076
AB - PFAS are persistent micropollutants subject to strict drinking water regulations. Although granular activated carbon treatment can effectively remove PFAS from water, early breakthrough, especially for short-chain PFAS, requires frequent regeneration and increases treatment costs. While many studies have related the presence of natural organic matter (NOM) to early breakthrough, the mechanisms affecting PFAS adsorption remain unclear. In this study, we used resin and membrane fractionation to isolate distinct NOM fractions based on chemical characteristics and molecular size. Batch isotherm, kinetic, and column experiments showed that the presence of the <3 kDa fraction significantly reduced short-chain PFAS adsorption. As low molecular weight compounds (<3 kDa) are consistently detected in source waters at concentrations comparable to or higher than those included in this study, their removal is crucial to improving short-chain PFAS removal during drinking water treatment. Conversely, long-chain PFAS adsorption was not notably affected by molecular size fractions but was significantly reduced in the presence of the hydrophobic neutral (HON) fraction. The LC-OCD analysis indicated that HON consists of compounds with similar molecular characteristics as long-chain PFAS, suggesting direct competition for adsorption sites between long-chain PFAS and HON. The HON fraction is typically present at lower concentrations compared to other NOM fractions in natural waters. This low concentration of the HON helps explain the delayed breakthrough observed for long-chain PFAS, in contrast to short-chain PFAS, whose breakthrough is rapid due to the high concentration of the <3 kDa fraction. We found that the presence of specific NOM fractions can indicate reduced PFAS removal, suggesting that NOM fractionation techniques could be integrated into monitoring procedures at drinking water facilities, as the presence of specific fractions can indicate reduced PFAS removal.
SN - 1385-8947
SN - 1873-3212
ER -