Date of Award:

8-2024

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Committee Chair(s)

R. Ryan Dupont

Committee

R. Ryan Dupont

Committee

Joan E. McLean

Committee

Randal Martin

Abstract

Per and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are manufactured chemicals that have water and grease repellant properties and do not readily biodegrade. PFAS are present in many consumer products and end up in waste systems and the environment. Studies have shown that PFAS can have adverse health effects on humans and animals.

There are many challenges to processing and analyzing samples containing PFAS including: adsorption of PFAS to equipment, contamination from equipment containing PFAS, and the high sensitivity needed to analyze for PFAS in the parts per trillion detection range. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been developing methods to analyze for PFAS in environmental samples, starting with drinking water and moving towards more complex environmental matrixes. Testing of these methods with available laboratory equipment must occur to optimize a lab's capacity to quantify PFAS.

To quantify them, PFAS must first be extracted from a sample and then analyzed using liquid chromatography paired with mass spectrometry. This study compares extraction and analytical methods for the quantification of PFAS in biosolids and wastewater. Analytical methods based on EPA Methods 533 and 1633 were compared and the results from Method 533 were more precise and accurate than Method 1633. An automated and manual extraction method were compared for the extraction of PFAS from biosolids and the manual method was determined to produce better recovery of PFAS. Finally, two methods of sample clean up and concentration for wastewater and biosolids samples were compared between methods developed at the Utah Water Research Lab and EPA Method 1633. Method 1633 was found to have higher percent recoveries of PFAS for biosolids and wastewater.

From these results it is recommended that for extraction of biosolids EPA Method 1633 be used. For SPE cleanup it is recommended that EPA Method 1633 be followed for both wastewater and biosolids. For analysis EPA Method 533 is recommended for both wastewater and biosolids samples. These methods have shown the best recoveries of extraction standards and the most consistency in results.

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