Dr. Sadhan Jana of the University of Akron
BF Goodrich Professor, School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering

Abstract: Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are an emerging class of contaminants that are environmentally persistent, bioaccumulative, and noxious to human health. Among these, the perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) molecules are widely found in ground and surface water sources. A novel high surface area, meso- and macro-porous polymer wet gel is used in this work as adsorbent of PFOA molecules from water at environmentally relevant PFOA concentrations (≤ 1 μg/L) and cleanse water to below the U.S. EPA’s 2023 health advisory limit of 4 parts per trillion (ppt). The sigmoidal shape of PFOA adsorption isotherm indicates a two-step adsorption mechanism attributed to strong affinity of PFOA molecules for the polymer surface and molecular aggregation at the solid-liquid interfaces or within the pores of the wet gel. The adsorption kinetics and the effects of wet gel porosity, pore size, and pore volume on removal efficiency are reported. The adsorption kinetics is seen strongly dependent on the pore size and the pore volume.

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