Fate and Transport of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in the Soil Environment

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are ubiquitous in the environment. One key application of PFASs is in aqueous film forming foam (AFFF). AFFFs have been intensively used at numerous military installations across the world and released into the environment through various activities, including fire-fighting training and fire suppression. This has led to the widespread PFASs contamination of soils and groundwater and many other environmental matrices. Some PFASs (especially perfluoroalkyl acids - PFAAs) have been found in areas never exposed to or distant from anthropogenic activities. In Australia, the use of AFFFs has occurred in all states and essentially across the continent reflecting contamination across the full spectrum of potential soil types and environments. Soil washing is one of the most popular technologies for the remediation of PFAS-contaminated soils.  One of the keys to the success of soil washing for remediation of PFASs is understanding the fate and behavior of the chemicals in the soil environment. This Ph.D. project is to better the understanding of the sorption, transport, and transformation behavior of a wide range of PFASs and PFAA precursors in the soil environment towards the optimization of soil washing for PFAS remediation.

Hong Nguyen's background is Environmental Engineering (B.Eng, M.Eng). She worked on constructed wetland technology and application of novel ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV LED) for water reuse purposes. She is now a PhD student studying behaviors of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the environment. Hong Nguyen's PhD project aims at understanding the fate and transport of PFASs in the soil environment for optimization of PFASs-contaminated soil remediation processes.

Please note this is a PhD Mid-candidature milestone review.