Category: PFAS

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Study tracks emerging contaminants from landfill to treatment plant to application

Aerial photo of a wastewater treatment plant.
Photo credit: Amine KM/Pexels

Treatment plants can effectively remove microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from wastewater before they’re discharged to lakes and rivers, but large amounts of contaminants end up in solid waste, called biosolids, often used on agricultural fields as soil nutrients. By land applying this material, these contaminants then are re-released back into the environment.  

In a recent study published in an Illinois Sustainable Technology Center report, John Scott, analytical chemist at ISTC in the University of Illinois, studied the fate of microplastics and PFAS as they moved from landfill leachate, or water that filters though the mound of trash, to wastewater treatment plants and beyond. As health concerns about PFAS in water continue to grow, Scott predicts that state and federal regulatory agencies will set rules limiting these contaminants in water.

“I expect regulations concerning PFAS will be coming soon, but the big question is that nobody knows where to set the limits because the toxicity of PFAS hasn’t been established yet,” Scott said.   

To date, wastewater treatment plants are not required to monitor for PFAS and microplastics, so studies on these contaminants provide a better understanding of their major sources and how they can end up in the environment.

Eighty percent of plastics are destined for landfills. Among the castaways are food packaging, furniture, clothing, and other textiles that shed microplastics and PFAS contaminants. Scott noted that while all samples contained both microplastics and PFAS, PFAS concentrations in landfill leachate were found to be much greater than in wastewater influent.  

After wastewater treatment, the highest levels of microplastics and PFAS were in the biosolids, of which 50% are applied back to the land. If farmers stop using biosolids in fields due to regulatory and liability issues, the only option is to send them to landfills where the cycle from landfill to wastewater treatment plant will continue.

“Once in landfills, the stuff moves into the leachate, which is headed back to the wastewater treatment plant,” Scott said. “We’re just moving them from one environmental compartment to the next without addressing the problem. We never get rid of them; we’re just shifting them back and forth.”

To manage this problem, which is increasing over time because plastics and PFAS take so long to break down, consumers have some responsibility, he said.

“People have the perception that when you throw something away and it goes to a landfill, then it’s gone forever, when it’s not,” Scott said. “A landfill is just a holding place, and actually, the contaminants will end up fugitive in our environment.”

If the use of PFAS is regulated, PFAS in raw sewage will decrease, but contamination in landfill leachate will continue to rise, Scott said. Similarly, as plastics are added to landfills, they breakdown to smaller sizes, increasing contamination levels in leachate. Over time, landfills will become an even more significant sources of these contaminants, as well as many others. 

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Media Contact: John Scott, 217-333-8407, zhewang@illinois.edu

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Holiday gifts with sustainability in mind

Alma mater and block-I shaped cookies on a plate among other cookies
Illinois-themed Alma Mater and Block I holiday cookies. Credit: UI Public Affairs, Fred Zwicky.

Whichever winter holiday(s) you observe, odds are ‘tis the season for gift giving. Even if you don’t observe any of the major winter holidays, you’ll surely think about gifts at some point in the near future to celebrate a special occasion. If you’d like to align your gifts with sustainable values, the following ideas and resources might be helpful. Please note that links and companies mentioned in this post are for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as endorsements by ISTC, the Prairie Research Institute, or the University of Illinois.

Give an Experience

Many of us are fortunate enough to have plenty of “stuff” already, and if that’s the case for your intended recipient, consider an alternative to giving them more material goods. Experiences can often be more meaningful and personalized than physical gifts and presenting them can be an opportunity to start a conversation about consumption and its impacts on resource use, though one should not equate gifting experiences with avoiding consumption. Experiences still involve the use of material goods and consumption of resources; e.g., cooking someone their favorite dinner still requires the use of cookware, energy, and ingredients that themselves require natural resources to grow, raise, or manufacture. However, some gifted experiences may use items or resources that you or your recipient already own or would consume regardless of the special occasion. Continuing the previous example, you’re not likely to buy new pots or appliances to cook dinner, and since your recipient would need to eat anyway, there would always be impacts associated with the ingredients for the meal. Of course, other experiences may involve situations outside normal day-to-day circumstances that necessitate the use of resources (e.g., fuel for travel) we would not otherwise consume. Taking a spouse on a dream vacation or treating your best friend to a concert performance by their favorite band are examples. In such instances, it’s important to remember that giving an experience is less about avoiding resource use than shifting human attitudes and focus. The goal when gifting an experience is not to completely avoid consumption–we all consume resources as part of being alive. Rather, giving an experience shifts the focus away from material items as ends in themselves toward human interactions and the associated memories that will endure longer than most physical gifts possibly could. Memories are durable gifts! As a person who cares about sustainability, you can still try to incorporate responsible consumption into the equation if possible—perhaps by using local, sustainably harvested ingredients for the special dinner you’re preparing, buying carbon off-sets for the travel to that dream destination, or taking public transportation to the concert. The key is sharing or fostering experiences fulfills the human need for authentic connection rather than human desires for material goods, and reinforces the idea that relationships matter more than stuff. Valuing relationships between living things (in this case between people) is essential to thinking about ecosystems and the mindset that humans are a part of, rather than apart from, the rest of the natural world. Valuing relationships/connections can build a foundation for more sustainable behavior.

Give to Charity

Another option is to make a donation in honor of your loved one to a charitable organization that resonates with their interests and values. If you aren’t already aware of a specific group dear to their heart, you can search Charity Navigator at https://www.charitynavigator.org/ to find organizations by cause. The results display ratings, if Charity Navigator has adequate information to calculate one, based on “the cost-effectiveness and overall health of a charity’s programs, including measures of stability, efficiency, and sustainability.” You can filter the results by ratings, different aspects of performance (called “Beacons” on the site), state, organization size, and other factors. For example, I entered the term “sustainability” into the site’s search bar with the state filter “IL.” Charity Navigator also produces curated lists of charities, including “Where to Give Now,” “Popular Charities,” and “Best Charities.” As examples, check out the List of Best Women’s Charities, the “Where to Give Now” list for the Hawaii Wildfires, the List of Most Popular Charities. You can of course always enter keywords into Google or another search engine, but you might appreciate having Charity Navigator do some of the virtual “leg work” for you and having their expert analysis.

Note that your donation need not be monetary—you could donate your time or skills through volunteering. You might use your social media experience to help with promotion and online engagement for the literacy program for which your wife works, for example. You might even combine supporting a good cause important to your loved one with gifting an experience. For example, you might arrange to volunteer with an animal-loving friend at the local Humane Society shelter or pick up litter with your dad at his favorite nature preserve.

Give Gifts that Foster Reuse and Waste Reduction

Maybe you want to give your favorite waste reduction wonk items to help them get closer to the ideal of zero generation, but all you can think of are reusable coffee cups and cloth grocery bags which you know they already own. Here are some ideas and lists from which to draw inspiration.

Give Gifts that Reduce Dependence on Fossil Fuels

Friends don’t let friends rack up avoidable greenhouse gas emissions. Consult the following guides for some quick tips.

Give Gifts Free of PFAS

According to PFAS Central, a project of the Green Science Policy Institute, “PFAS, sometimes referred to as PFCs or highly fluorinated chemicals, are used in many consumer products and industrial applications because of their oil-, stain-, and water-repellent properties. Examples of chemicals in this class include PFOA, PFOS, and more than 3000 related compounds. The most studied of these substances is a chemical called PFOA, which is linked to kidney and testicular cancer, elevated cholesterol, decreased fertility, and thyroid problems and decreased immune response to vaccines in children. The most studied of these substances is a chemical called PFOA, which is linked to kidney and testicular cancer, elevated cholesterol, decreased fertility, and thyroid problems and decreased immune response to vaccines in children.” PFAS persist in the environment and pollute even the most remote places. Check out ISTC’s information and work on PFAS. This recent video from Bloomberg tells the fascinating story of how one woman uncovered how PFAS pollution became prevalent in her area.

So, these substances are clearly bad news for human and environmental health, but they’re in lots of consumer products—how can you help friends and family avoid exposure? Check out https://pfascentral.org/pfas-free-products/ for a list of PFAS-free outdoor gear, apparel, shoes, personal care products, baby gear, furniture, food ware, carpets and rugs, textiles, and home maintenance products.

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ISTC scientist is set to develop technology addressing water contaminated with PFAS

Man-made per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), known as “forever chemicals,” withstand many treatment options and bioaccumulate in the environment, posing serious environmental and health concerns. With a three-year, nearly $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) scientists are developing a new technology to remove and destroy PFAS from contaminated water using a designer biochar produced from woody biomass or agricultural residues such as corn stalks and cobs.

PFAS are a widely used class of chemicals found in many different consumer, commercial, and industrial products, including non-stick coatings and textiles. Since the 1970s, PFAS have also been used in firefighting foam, which is why the DOD is interested in finding new solutions to clean up contaminated sites where firefighters have trained, according to Wei Zheng, principal investigator of the project at ISTC, a unit of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Activated carbon, as a most common adsorbent, is typically used to treat PFAS-containing water. Once the activated carbon is saturated with the contaminants, the spent adsorbent is incinerated. However, incineration, even done at sufficiently high temperatures, cannot completely destruct PFAS and will create some hazardous and toxic byproducts. In 2022, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Defense placed a temporary ban on incineration of materials containing PFAS until safe guidance for disposal of PFAS is issued.

“If incineration is not an option, the spent adsorbent ends up in the landfill where PFAS can leach to water sources and evaporate to air because they won’t degrade,” Zheng said. “So, PFAS will go back to the environment. In this way we just solve one issue but generate a new problem.”

In addition, wastewater treatment plants can’t solve the PFAS issue because these contaminants are never destroyed by conventional treatment techniques. That is why they are called forever chemicals.

In the new project, Zheng will develop a hydrothermal technology, likened to pressure cooking, that will destroy PFAS absorbed on low-cost designer biochar created at ISTC, and at the same time reactivate the biochar that has reached its sorption capacity for reuse. Thus, the designer biochar will act a double role as an adsorbent to remove PFAS from contaminated water and as a catalyst to destroy these compounds under a hydrothermal system. 

“The most important and innovative aspect of the project will be the complete destruction of PFAS once they are removed from the water,” Zheng said. “PFAS are widely detected in the environment and in the atmosphere. Our project is designed to mitigate human exposure to PFAS, helping to find ways to indeed solve this problem.”

ISTC is collaborating with researchers at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Research Laboratory on this project.

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Media contact: Wei Zheng, 217-333-7276, weizheng@illinois.edu
news@prairie.illinois.edu

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How can Illinois address the problem of PFAS pollution?

John Scott - senior analytical chemist, Illinois Sustainable Technology Center Photo by L. Brian Stauffer
John Scott, a senior chemist with the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, says per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are widespread, long-lasting and extremely difficult to remove from the environment. Photo by L. Brian Stauffer

by Diana Yates, Life Sciences Editor, U of I News Bureau

Editor’s note: Following action by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the state of Illinois is investigating the occurrence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in community water supplies across the state, with an eye toward developing policies to reduce their use. Exposure to PFAS has been linked to increased risk of certain cancers and potential developmental problems in children. News Bureau life sciences editor Diana Yates spoke about the issue with John Scott, a senior chemist with the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center.

Why are PFAS used in so many products?

PFAS are used in packaging, nonstick cookware, water-resistant carpeting, construction materials, firefighting foam, and personal-use products like shampoos and dental floss.

PFAS have unique properties. They are very resistant to water, oil and most things that would stain surfaces. They also are thermally stable, resistant to degradation and great friction reducers.

Why are they so problematic?

There are more than 5,000 compounds classified as PFAS, and the list seems to be growing every day. This makes monitoring, regulating and treating them a much more difficult task.

What makes PFAS so useful is also what makes them so problematic. For starters, they are very water soluble, which means they can reach very high concentrations in surface and groundwaters contaminated by them. This also makes them very mobile in the environment, so they can readily move from soil to water to organisms. PFAS also are known to bioaccumulate. This means they can be present at higher concentrations in wildlife and humans than in the surrounding environment.

Since PFAS are so stable, they are extremely persistent in the environment. Carbon-fluorine bonds are some of the strongest chemical bonds known. This is why these compounds are so hard to break down. Once they get into the environment, they pretty much stick around forever. This is also why treatment of PFAS is so difficult. We can readily get PFAS to adsorb to many materials, but it isn’t clear what to do with those materials afterward. It requires a great deal of energy and cost to destroy PFAS, and the process may create even more potentially toxic degradation products or hazardous air pollutants. The only alternative is to landfill these materials, but that gives them the potential to be released back into the environment.

How widespread is the problem in Illinois?

In reference to PFAS, one will typically hear the word “ubiquitous.” It seems that everywhere we look for PFAS, they turn up. This is true in Illinois.

Illinois does have some “PFAS hot spots” that I am aware of. These sites are typically where fires have been treated with aqueous firefighting foams, locations where training with these foams has occurred and air force bases. These hot spots usually have very high concentrations of PFAS in their soils and nearby groundwaters and surface waters. Michigan has many sites where illegal dumping of PFAS occurred, but I am unaware of any sites like that in Illinois. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

Many PFAS-laden materials are dumped in landfills and, as a result, high concentrations of PFAS can end up in landfill leachates. These leachates are commonly sent to wastewater treatment plants, which are not currently designed to treat PFAS. This means the PFAS are either directly discharged to the environment via effluent or they contaminate the sewage sludge, commonly referred to as biosolids. Because biosolids from wastewater treatment plants are sometimes used as fertilizer on agricultural crops, the PFAS are then released back into the environment. When considering the potential impact, it’s good to keep in mind that Illinois has 37 active landfills and many more that are inactive or closed.

Are there safer alternatives to PFAS?

Many alternative chemicals have been developed and implemented to replace the traditional PFAS. However, the consensus of the scientific community is that they are just as problematic as the compounds they replaced. The Department of Defense is aggressively looking for fluorine-free alternatives.

How might the state of Illinois address the problem?

In the hierarchy of pollution prevention, source reduction is the most efficient approach. We need to reduce the amount of PFAS we produce and the amount of PFAS we use, and find safer alternatives that have minimal environmental impact. Education is an essential part of this process. Making the public aware of the issue would be a great place to start.

I suspect that many people purchasing materials containing PFAS are not even aware of it. A requirement for labeling of materials that contain PFAS may provide consumers with a means to make the right decision with their purchasing power. This also could provide a way for solid waste managers to divert these materials so that they are not released back into the environment. Even if we stopped all use of PFAS tomorrow, however, I suspect that we will be dealing with their legacy for decades to come.

Editor’s note:  To contact John Scott, email zhewang@illinois.edu.

This story was originally published by the U of I News Bureau. View the original article  on their website.

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Sierra Club of Illinois hosts panel discussion on PFAS with Rob Bilott, John Scott, other water advocates

On Monday, October 5, the Sierra Club of Illinois hosted a conversation about PFAS with Rob Bilott,  an attorney, advocate, and author whose story inspired the film Dark Waters; ISTC senior chemist John Scott; Fred Andes, a Chicago attorney whose practice focuses on water issues; Cheryl Sommer,  vice-President of United Congregations Metro-East.

A recording of the conversation is now available.

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Microplastics may increase the risk of PFAS entering the Lake Michigan food web

This post originally appeared on the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant web site.

by Irene Miles, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant

Maggie Oudsema, a research assistant at the Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute (AWRI), Grand Valley State University and John Scott, Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, lower microplastic samples into Muskegon Lake. (Photo courtesy John Scott)
Maggie Oudsema, a research assistant at the Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute (AWRI), Grand Valley State University and John Scott, Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, lower microplastic samples into Muskegon Lake. (Photo courtesy John Scott)

Ever-present in our world, it’s not surprising that plastics have been found in waterways virtually everywhere, mostly showing up as microplastics. Another group of contaminants, PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are, likewise, being detected in the environment all over the world.

All of these contaminants pose concerns on their own, but now research funded by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant has found that PFAS can stick to microplastic particles in the water, increasing the likelihood that they will end up in the food web.

PFAS are human-made chemicals that are used in many common products such as non-stick cookware, pizza boxes and stain repellent fabric. Qualities that have made them useful—for example, they are very stable and are resistant to water and oil—can contribute to concerns about PFAS. They don’t easily break down in lakes, rivers, wildlife and people. PFAS can have health effects, such as increasing the risk of cancer, decreasing fertility, and impacting growth and learning in infants and children.

Plastics can break down in the environment to microscopic size or they can enter lakes and rivers as microplastics already—for example, as tiny fibers that wash off our clothing. Once in the environment and our waters, microplastics stick around, and like PFAS they do not easily biodegrade.

John Scott, an analytical chemist at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, led a team of researchers to understand the extent to which PFAS and other contaminants attach to microplastics in waterways.

His team used three common types of plastic, testing them in the waters of Muskegon Lake, which sits adjacent to Lake Michigan along the Michigan coast. They also did similar testing in a controlled environment using laboratory water.

Microplastic samples were submerged in the nearshore waters of the channel connecting the two lakes and in the middle of Muskegon Lake, for one month and three months in both locations, and in the laboratory for one month.

Rachel Orzechowski, a research assistant at AWRI, Grand Valley State University, sets up microplastics samples to submerge for 1-3 months in Muskegon Lake. (Photo courtesy John Scott)
Rachel Orzechowski, a research assistant at AWRI, Grand Valley State University, sets up microplastics samples to submerge for 1-3 months in Muskegon Lake. (Photo courtesy John Scott)

The researchers found that regardless of location, length of time or type of plastic tested, PFAS in Muskegon Lake adhered to microplastic particles—ranging from .052 nanogram to .87 nanogram of PFAS for each gram of plastic. Interestingly, the amount of PFAS sticking to the microplastic in laboratory water was notably less.

“The difference may be due to associated organic matter or the presence of metals or biofilm, which is a collection of bacteria that grows on microplastic particles in the lake, making the surface easier to stick to,” said Scott. “This would also explain the wide variability that we found in PFAS concentrations on microplastic samples that were identical in substance and treatment. We did not find this degree of variability in the controlled experiments.”

Biofilm is a collection of microorganisms that grow on a variety of surfaces. (Graphic Joel Davenport/Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant)
Biofilm is a collection of microorganisms that grow on a variety of surfaces. (Graphic Joel Davenport/Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant)

Scott points out that the concentration of PFAS they found attached to microplastics in the study is quite low—for perspective, a nanogram is a billionth of a gram—but there is more to the story. “We submerged our samples for limited time, but some studies have estimated that half of microplastics in the environment have been there for 10 to 15 years. And many of these plastic particles in the water are smaller than we used in this study, so with similar mass they have more surface area, which could result in more adsorption.”

Another consideration is that PFAS are only one group of chemicals that can attach to microplastics. Scott said, “We don’t know the implications of what could be a cocktail of contaminants—like PCBs or PAHs—adhering to these particles and ingested by fish or other organisms.”

At the same time, many plastics may already contain additives such as heavy metals, flame retardants and plasticizers that can further exacerbate this issue. “These microplastics-associated pollutants can act synergistically when an organism is exposed to them,” said Scott.

Recent IISG-funded research at Loyola University has shown that fish in three Lake Michigan tributaries are ingesting microplastics. Biologists John Kelly and Tim Hoellein found that 85% of the fish tested contain, on average, 13 pieces of microplastic in their digestive tract.

Does this translate to a level of concern for fish regarding PFAS and other chemicals that may be in these waters and may be attached to microplastics?

“We just don’t know,” said Scott. “We don’t know if PFAS ingested on microplastics stay with the fish, we don’t know at what rate fish ingest microplastics and we don’t know what concentrations in fish are a cause for concern. This project highlights that, in addition to focusing on relevant microplastic concentrations, further studies need to consider environmentally exposed microplastics.”

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Registration is Open for Emerging Contaminants Conference

Join us on May 21-22 for the 2019 Emerging Contaminants in the Environment Conference (ECEC19). Registration will be open until May 3. View the draft agenda on the ECEC19 website.

About the Conference

ECEC19 will be held on May 21-22, 2019, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Champaign, IL. This year the conference will expand beyond the aquatic environment to also include air and soil studies along with effects on human and animal health.

The conference will feature presentations and posters on the latest in emerging contaminant research, policies, and outreach. In addition, there will be plenty of opportunities for discussion and networking with those interested in all aspects of emerging contaminants in the environment.

Researchers, educators, businesses, government officials, regulatory agencies, policy makers, outreach and extension professionals, environmental groups, members of the general public, and medical, veterinary, and public health professionals are encouraged to attend the conference.

The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center and the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant are cohosting this conference.

Keynote Speakers

  • Thomas Bruton – PFAS Research and Policy Lead, Green Science Policy Institute
  • Robert C. Hale – Professor of Marine Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
  • Susan D. Richardson – Arthur Sease Williams Professor of Chemistry, University of South Carolina

Read more about the keynotes.

Panelists

  • Thomas Burton – PFAS Research and Policy Lead, Green Science Policy Institute
  • Iseult Lynch – Professor and Chair of Environmental Nanosciences at the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham
  • Yujie Men – Assistant Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
  • Katie Nyquist – Principal Planner for the Contaminants of Emerging Concern Initiative at the Minnesota Department of Health
  • Heiko Schoenfuss – Director of Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory and Professor of Anatomy at St. Cloud State University
  • Krista Wigginton – Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan

Read more about the panelists.

 

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Persistent Organic Pollutants on Microplastics Project expanded to include per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances

The Great Lakes are an important water and food source for both humans and animals. Anthropogenic contaminants such as microplastics, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are of increasing concern because of their potential impact on the environment and human health. Scientists lack understanding about many aspects of how these recently identified contaminants interact with the environment, aquatic species, and other potential contaminants.

With new funding from Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) researcher John Scott and his team will be able to expand their research to include more environmental contaminants. With their current project on persistent organic pollutants in Lake Muskegon, they are studying the effects of microplastic type and deployment time in the sediments and the water column on sorption of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to the microplastic particles. This on going investigation includes legacy contaminants like chlorinated pesticides, polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The new funds will also allow the team to look at adsorption of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on the microplastics. PFASs are being found to be ubiquitous in the environment. This study will look at the role microplastics may play as a carrier of these compounds disperse them in water and sediment.