GenX, a newly synthesized per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), has gained attention as a supposedly safer replacement for the long-chain PFAS, PFOA. Given the thyroid gland being known to be a target organ for the health effects of PFOA, it is crucial to investigate GenX potential impact on the thyroid gland. Thyroid hormones play a critical role in normal development and metabolism, emphasizing the importance of assessing the thyroid-disrupting effects of GenX for future regulatory considerations.A review of the existing scientific literature revealed potential genotoxicity and cytotoxicity in thyroid cells, reduced postnatal survival rates, and altered levels of thyroid hormones following GenX exposure. Further research is needed to establish definitive conclusions regarding the thyroid-impairing effects of GenX. This study highlights the necessity for additional investigations to improve our understanding of the potential risks and effects associated with GenX exposure on thyroid function. / GenX, en nyligen framtagen PFAS, har uppmärksammats som en påstått säkrareersättning för PFOA, en av de långkedjiga PFAS. Sköldkörteln är känd som ettmålorgan för skadliga hälsoeffekter av PFOA vilket gör det intressant att undersöka GenX eventuella påverkan på sköldkörteln. Sköldkörtelhormoner är viktiga för normal utveckling och ämnesomsättning, vilket betonar vikten av att bedöma GenX potentiella störande effekter på sköldkörtelfunktionen för framtida regleringsåtgärder. En genomgång av befintlig vetenskaplig litteratur visade potentiell genotoxicitet och cytotoxicitet i sköldkörtelceller, minskad överlevnad efter födseln samt förändrade nivåer av sköldkörtelhormoner efter GenX-exponering. Vidare forskning behövs för att fastställa definitiva slutsatser angående GenX:s sköldkörtelpåverkande effekter. Denna studie belyser nödvändigheten av ytterligare undersökningar för att förbättra vår förståelse för de potentiella riskerna och effekterna som är förknippade medsköldkörtelfunktion och GenX-exponering.

Per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFASs) have become an urgent topic in the water treatment industry in recent years as a consequence of new scientific discoveries of the correlation between the ingestion of some PFASs and their toxicity in humans and other organisms. PFASs are synthetic compounds present in a variety of products. Due to their desirable physical and chemical properties, PFASs are found in everything from clothes and furniture to aqueous fire-fighting foams. These compounds have also been identified in food and drinking water. The flourine-carbon bond present in these chemicals are exceptionally strong. Hence PFASs are persistent in nature when leaked to the environment. Additionally, the mobility properties of PFASs in the soil leads to contamination of surface and groundwater, necessitating actions from drinking water treatment plants (DWTP).  Nanofiltration plants have shown to successfully reduce the PFASs content in contaminated waters. The accumulation of PFASs in the concentrate is a potent source of these compounds and requires treatment before leaving the DWTP. Foam fractionation (FF) is an aeration technique that utilizes the hydrophobic properties of the PFASs compounds, in which PFASs adsorbs to the interfaces of introduced rising air-bubbles. The foam forming at the surface is then extracted, reducing the contamination.  In this study, the efficacy of the FF system on a concentrate from a two-stage nanofiltration membrane was evaluated. Also, the ability of surfactants to enhance the PFAS reduction was explored. The study was conducted in two parts. The first part was executed in a laboratory scale environment where five surfactants were added to a batchwise FF system. A minimum dose was determined and four experimental runs were then executed for each surfactant: Zero surfactant, 1x minimum dose, 2x minimum dose and 5x minimum dose. The results were evaluated and the surfactant showing the greatest improvement of PFASs removal, in this study a cationic surfactant, was chosen for further investigations in the second part. A continuous pilot FF system was used in the second part, the inner diameter of the colon was 54 mm, the height of the water column was held at 1 m prior to the aeration, the contact time (CT) was 10 minutes and the air-flow rate was set to be 4 L/min in all runs. Four experimental runs were conducted with different doses of the cationic surfactant: Zero surfactant, 1x minimum dose, 2x minimum dose and 3x minimum dose. Each experiment was repeated three times. A total of 12 runs were performed.  The results showed a removal efficiency of > 99 % of long-chained PFASs in all conducted experimental runs. Without the addition of surfactant, the average removal efficiency of ∑ short-chained PFASs was 61 % whereas maximum removal (77 %) was obtained with the highest surfactant dose applied. The mean reduction of ∑PFASs was 90 % in the zero surfactant run and 94 % in the highest dose experiment. The main findings from the study were that: 1) FF is an efficient method for the removal of long-chained PFASs from concentrate 2) Surfactants can be added to increase the removal of short-chained PFASs, 3) Higher dosing of the surfactant positively correlated with the removal efficiency of ∑short-chained PFASs in the FF system, however the relationship was not linear. / Per- and polyfluorerade ämnen (PFAS) är ett högaktuellt forskningsområde inom dricksvattenproduktion. På senare år har ny forskning påvisat korrelationen mellan intag av vissa PFAS-ämnen och hälsoproblem hos både människor och djur. PFAS är syntetiskt framställda kemikalier som förekommer i flertalet av våra vardagliga produkter på grund av dess fördelaktiga fysiska- och kemiska egenskaper. PFAS används i allt från smink och möbler till brandskum men har också påträffats i dricksvatten och mat. Kol-fluor bindningen som förekommer i alla PFAS-ämnen tillhör den organiska kemins starkaste bindningar. Följaktligen bryts PFAS-ämnen ned extremt långsamt när de hamnar i naturen. PFAS förmåga att mobilisera sig i jorden leder till kontaminering av yt- och grundvatten vilket tvingar dricksvattenverk att vidta åtgärder.  Nanofiltration har visat sig vara en kraftfull metod för att rena vatten från PFAS. I koncentratet, det vill säga det vatten som inte renas genom membranen, ackumuleras PFAS vilket förutsätter en separat reningsprocess innan vattnet kan släppas ut i naturen. Skumfraktionering är en luftbaserad teknik som utnyttjar hydrofobiciteten i PFAS. PFAS-ämnen adsorberas till ytan hos de injicerade luftbubblorna och transporteras till vattenytan där det bildar ett skum. Uppsamling av skummet reduceras således kontamineringen.  I den här studien bedömdes effektiviteten av skumfraktionering på koncentratet från ett två- stegs nanofiltrationsmembran. Därutöver undersöktes effekterna av att tillföra surfaktanter till systemet för att optimera reduceringen. Studien genomfördes i två delar. Den första delen ufördes i en mindre skala där 5 olika surfaktanter adderades till en satsvis- skumfraktioneringsprocess. Initialt bestämdes en minimum dosering för alla surfaktanter. Totalt genomfördes 4 experiment: Ingen surfaktant, 1x minimum dosen, 2x minimum dosen, 5x minimum dosen. Den surfaktant som påvisade bäst effekt på reduceringen av PFAS, i detta fall en katjonisk surfaktant, användes sedan.  I den andra delen av arbetet användes en kontinuerlig skumfraktioneringsprocess. Den inre diametern på kolonnen var 54 mm, vattenkolumnen hölls konstant på 1 m innan luftningen, kontakttiden var 10 min och lufthastigheten var satt till 4 L/min. Totalt genomfördes 4 experiment: Ingen surfaktant, 1x minimum dosen, 2x minimum dosen, 3x minimum dosen. Varje experiment upprepades tre gånger.  Resultatet visade att > 99 % av ∑långkedjiga PFAS-ämnen reducerades i alla genomförda experiment. Den genomsnittliga reduktionen av ∑kortkedjiga PFAS-ämnen var 63 % i experimenten utan surfaktant, medan i experimenten med den högsta doseringen var reduktionen 77 %. Den genomsnittliga reduktionen av ∑11 PFAS var 94 % för den högsta doseringen medans den var 90 % i experimentet utan surfaktant. Studien visade att:  1) Skumfraktionering är en effektiv metod för att rena koncentrat från långkedjiga-PFAS 2) Surfaktanter kan fördelaktigen användas för att optimera reningen av kortkedjiga-PFAS ämnen. 3) Högre dosering av surfaktanter korrelerade med högre reduktion av ∑kortkedjiga PFAS i skumfraktioneringsprocessen, ökningen var dock inte linjär.

Tidigare studier har visat på höga halter av per- och polyfluorerade alkylsubstanser (PFAS) ilakvatten från avfallsanläggningar. Avfallsanläggningar i Sverige har idag inga krav på attrena bort PFAS från lakvatten, och anläggningarna har generellt inte ett reningssystem som äranpassat för att rena den typen av ämnen. EU stramar hela tiden åt kraven kring utsläpp ochanvändning av PFAS och det kan därför vara bra för en avfallsanläggning att ha översikt påhur mycket PFAS det släpps ut från deponi- och avfallsverksamheten och vilka eventuellaåtgärder som skulle kunna vidtas för detta problem. I denna uppsats används analysresultat av22 PFAS ämnen från nio provtagningspunkter på Gärstad avfallsanläggning, för attundersöka avfallsanläggningens utsläpp av PFAS. Resultaten för studien visar att deuppmätta värdena för summa PFAS 22 för provpunkterna ligger mellan 410 ng/l – 58 000ng/l. PFAS ämnen med kortare kedja (4 – 8 kol) har uppmätts i högre halter än de med längrekedja (9 – 13 kol). Resultaten visade även högre halter av perfluorerade karboxylater (PFCA)än perfluorerade sulfonsyror (PFSA). / Previous studies have shown high levels of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS)in leachate from waste facilities. Waste facilities in Sweden currently have no requirements topurify PFAS from leachate, and the facilities generally do not have a treatment system that isadapted to purify this type of substances. The EU is constantly tightening the requirementsregarding the release and use of PFAS, and it can therefore be good for a waste facility tokeep track of how much PFAS is released from landfill and waste operations and whatpossible measurements could be taken for this problem. In this essay, analysis results of 22PFAS substances from nine sampling points at Gärstad waste facility have been used, toinvestigate the waste facility's discharge of PFAS. The results of studies show that themeasured values for total PFAS 22 at the sampling spots are between 410 ng/l - 58,000 ng/l.PFAS substances with a shorter chain (4 – 8 carbons) have been measured at higherconcentrations than those with a longer chain (9 – 13 carbons). The results also showedhigher levels of perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs) than perfluorinated sulfonic acids(PFSAs).

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and related perfluoroalkyl surfactants (PFAS) are ubiquitous contaminants of increasing public concern due to their environmental persistence, toxicity, and bioaccumulation. These perfluorinated compounds have been used for more than half a century in a wide variety of industrial and consumer products ranging from stain repellents such as Teflon® to aqueous fire-fighting foams and to grease-proof food packing. The public health and environmental risks posed by PFAS have driven environmental agencies and the industry to restrict their use to specific applications where they cannot be replaced by other chemicals. The sources and pathways of PFOS and its derivatives in the environment are not well understood. Analysis of environmental samples is critical to understand the fate, transport and persistence of these emerging contaminants. Techniques based on fluorine nuclear magnetic resonance (¹⁹F NMR) spectroscopy and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with suppressed conductivity detection were successfully developed to monitor the presence of PFAS in water samples. Chromatographic separation of C₄ to C₈ PFAS surfactants was achieved using a C₁₈ reversed-phase column and a mobile phase consisting of a mixture of boric acid and acetonitrile at mixing ratios ranging from 75:25 to 45:55 (v/v). The combination of these two techniques was very effective for characterization and routine quantification of PFOS and related chemicals. Analytical methods based on ¹⁹F NMR, HPLC-suppressed conductivity detection, and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were employed to characterize commercial PFOS samples. Linear and branched PFOS isomers in a percentage ratio of 75:25 were identified. Municipal wastewater treatment systems are one of the major sources of PFAS emissions into the environment. The presence of PFAS in sewage sludge from two wastewater treatment plants in Tucson, Arizona, was investigated. Sludge samples were washed with acetic acid and extracted with a mixture of acetic acid and methanol. The extract was cleaned and concentrated by means of solid phase extraction. LC-MS/MS operating in the selective ion monitoring (SIM) mode was employed to assess the presence of perfluorosulfonates, perfluorosulfonamides, and perfluorocarboxylates in sewage sludge samples. PFOS was the only perfluoroalkyl chemical detected in municipal sludge samples at a concentration of 77 ± 5 g kg⁻¹ sludge dry weight. Cost-effective treatment techniques for removing PFAS from industrial effluents are needed to minimize discharges of these pollutants. Reductive dehalogenation is widely applied to the degradation of highly chlorinated compounds. Hence, the susceptibility of PFOS and related compounds to biological and chemical reductive dehalogenation was evaluated in batch assays. PFAS were not reductively dehalogenated by different microbial consortia even after periods of incubation exceeding 2 y, confirming the high resistance of these compounds to microbial degradation. The anaerobic biodegradability of PFOS and perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) samples exposed to electrochemical pretreatment with boron-doped diamond film electrodes was also investigated. The oxidation decreased the concentration of PFAS and dissolved organic carbon in solution, confirming the destruction of these compounds. However, the oxidative treatment did not enhance the susceptibility of PFAS to microbial degradation even after extended periods of incubation (> 1 y). In contrast, PFOS was reductively dehalogenated with a biomimetic system based on vitamin B12 as the catalyst and Ti(III) citrate as the reducing agent. The optimal treatments conditions of the reaction were 260 μM vitamin B₁₂, 36 mM Ti(III) citrate, 70°C and solution pH 9.0. Interestingly, branched PFOS isomers were more prone to degradation by vitamin B₁₂ catalysis compared to the linear isomer. Removal of 3 mol Fper mol of technical PFOS and 12 mol F- per mol of branched PFOS isomers was achieved. Defluorination of PFOS was also observed at environmental relevant conditions of 30°C and pH 7.0, albeit at lower degradation rates. Fluoride and carbon dioxide were identified as the major products of the chemical defluorination. Traces of partially fluorinated volatile compounds were also detected in the headspace. The feasibility of removing PFAS compounds from aqueous streams by sorption onto granular activated carbon (GAC), zeolite, and wastewater treatment sludge was examined in batch isotherm experiments. The fluorocarbon chain and the functional group influenced sorption of the anionic surfactants, PFOS adsorbed more strongly to GAC than perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and PFBS. Activated carbon showed the highest affinity for PFOS (Freundlich K(F) values of 36.7 to 60.9) followed by the hydrophobic, high-silica zeolite NaY (Si/Al 80, K(F) of 31.8) and lastly anaerobic sludge (K(F) of 0.95 to 1.85). GAC sorption is a suitable treatment for the removal of anionic perfluoroalkyl surfactants when present at low concentrations. Fluoride has been identified as the major product of the reductive dehalogenation of PFOS and derivatives. Thus, the toxicity of inorganic fluoride towards the main microbial populations responsible for the removal of organic constituents and nutrients in wastewater treatment processes was also studied. Fluoride concentrations ranging from 18 to 43 mg L⁻¹ caused 50% inhibition (IC₅₀) of the activity of propionate- and butyratedegrading microorganisms and of acetate-utilization by methanogens evaluated under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. All other microbial populations evaluated in this study, i.e., glucose fermenters, aerobic glucose-degrading heterotrophs, denitrifying bacteria, and H₂-utilizing methanogens tolerated fluoride at very high concentrations (> 500 mg L⁻¹). In the same manner, H₂-utilizing methanogens also tolerated PFOS and PFBS at concentrations as high as 200 and 500 mg L⁻¹, respectively.

Per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFASs) are a large group of organic chemicals that have gained an increased attention during recent years. Many of the compounds have shown to be persistent, toxic and bioaccumulating and they are found in water, soils, sediments, biota, animals and humans across the globe. The effects of PFASs to humans and animals are still being debated. It is suspected that the compounds can be carcinogenic, disrupt different hormone systems and have other severe effects. The main transport pathways of PFASs to soil are applied PFAS based firefighting foam, soil improvers and waste from industries producing PFASs or PFAS based products. Once the PFASs find their way to the soil the risk for leaching to drinking water supplies and aquatic ecosystems becomes some of the issues of great concern. In order to be able to evaluate the potential leakage of PFASs from different contaminated soils it is important to know how the PFASs interact with the soil matrix and what parameters that affects these interactions. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of organic carbon (OC), Ca2+ ions and active carbon (AC) on the n of PFCAs and PFSAs to soil. The PFCAs examined were PFHxA, PFOA, PFNA, PFDA, PFUnDA, PFOcDA, PFHxDA and PFOcDA and the PFSAs examined were PFBS, PFHxS, PFOS and PFDS. Batch experiments were performed on soils with varying concentrations of TOC, Ca2+ and AC. The samples were spiked with PFAS native standard solution containing the 12 target PFASs. All studied parameters showed a positive influence on the sorption of PFASs to soil. The AC was found to have the highest influence on the sorption. The OC was however found to be the most important soil parameter influencing the sorption of PFASs to soil. In order to investigate the influence of aging on the sorption of PFASs, batch experiments were also conducted on soils from four different PFAS contaminated sites. The results showed that the aging positively influenced the strength of the interactions between PFASs and soil. The organic carbon normalized distribution coefficients (Koc) showed a positive correlation with the carbon chain length of the PFAS molecules and also with the substitution of a carboxylic group with a sulfonic group. The log Koc values calculated in this study decreased in the following order PFDS (log Koc3.8 0.3) > PFOS > (log Koc2.8 0.3) > PFUnDA (log Koc 3.2 0.2) > PFDA (log Koc2.7 0.1) > PFNA (log Koc2.0 0.1) > PFHxS (log Koc1.9 0.1) > PFOA (log Koc1.8 0.3) > PFHxA (log Koc1.6 0.3) > PFBS (log Koc 1.5 0.2). The log Koc values found in this study were within the range of previously reported log Kocvalues.

PFAS är en grupp poly- och perfluorerade ämnen som framställs industriellt och förekommer i ett flertal produkter såsom impregnerade papper och textilier, brandskum och rengöringsmedel, detta på grund av dess smuts, vatten- och fettavstötande egenskaper. Ämnena klassas som PBT ämnen, persistenta, bioackumulerande och toxiska, vilket gör dem till ett hälsoproblem för människor och djur. Denna studie undersökte förekomsten av PFCA, PFSA och PAPS i micropopcorn, samt om migration från förpackning till majskorn innan tillagning förekom och om PFAS i popcornen kunde utgöra en hälsorisk för människor. Proverna bereddes genom att tillaga ett prov i mikrovågsugn, ett i kastrull innehållande majskärnor samt fettet från micropopcornpåsen och ett där majskärnorna tvättades rena från fett från påsen och därefter tillagades med rapsolja i kastrull. Proven extraherades bland annat med en SPE Wax + HLB, separerades i en Acuity UPLC och identifierades med hjälp av en Xevo TQ-S-quadrupole masspektrometer med atmosfäriskt elektrospraygränssnitt i negativt läge samt analyserades i mjukvaran Masslynx. Resultaten för PFSA/PFCA visade högst frekvens av ämnen med längre kolkedjor, utbytet för kvantifierbara ämnen i denna analys låg mellan 22,6 % - 140,5 % . Analysen av diPAPS och triPAPS gav inga haltdata på grund av lågt utbyte på 2,3 % – 4,3 % orsakat av bruseffekter samt metodens sämre förmåga att extrahera dessa ämnen från popcorn. Ur hälsosynpunkt utgör inte micropopcorn i sig självt någon risk då stora mängder behövs konsumeras för att uppnå de få gränsvärden som finns för de detekterade ämnena. Konsumtion av micropopcorn kan dock anses som en bidragande källa till förhöjda halter av PFAS i mänskligt blod.

No description available.

<p>Per-and  polyfluoroalkyl  substances  (PFAS)  are  a  large  group  of  emerging  contaminants  that include astrong carbon-flourine bond that makes the compounds resistant to physical, chemical and  biological  degradation.  They  are  found  in  drinking  water  supplies,  daily  human  products, manufacturing  facilities,  and  in  areas  where  aqueous  film-forming  foam  (AFFF)was  used  to extinguish fires. Toxicity levels of these chemicals can vary depending on the characteristics of the specific chemical; longer carbon chain has shown to be more bioaccumulative and toxic than shorter chain length PFAS. Many studies have recognized perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) to be a substantial concern due to their known toxicity to wildlife. For example, studies show strong evidence that PFOA and PFOS suppress the antibody response from animals. Due to adverse health effects and public concern, the U.S stopped perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) manufacturing and switched to the production of an alternative fluorinated compound known  as  hexafluoropropylene  oxide  (HFPO)  dimer  acid  or  GenX,  which  is  thought  to  beless bioaccumulative and therefore, potentially less toxic. These anthropogenic pollutants are one of many stressors acting on aquatic organisms like anurans. Natural stressors such as the devastating fungal  pathogen Batrachocytrium  dendrobatidis(Bd)  is  another  stressor  impacting  amphibian populations.  Despite the co-occurrence of these stressors, no studies have examined interactive effects of the fungal pathogen Bd and PFAS, or whether PFAS effects carry over into the terrestrial environment aftera larvae  exposure. This study  tested the growth and developmental effects of PFOS, PFOA, and GenX, on gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor) tadpoles, followed by a Bd challenge in metamorphs. Our results demonstrate that a PFAS larval exposure interacted witha terrestrial Bdchallenge to influence growth and development. Bdexposed animals were significantly shorter (smaller snout vent length)  and had a significant increase in body condition and mass. This is the first study to report effects on amphibian terrestrial life stages after larval exposure to PFAS and to report an increased sensitivity to Bd. The environmentally relevant concentrations tested in this study  (<10  parts  per  billion)  lend  ecological  significance  to  these  results  however,  additional studies are needed to understand the mechanisms behind these effects.</p>

abstract: Humans are exposed up to thousands of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment, but most of the research and action has been directed towards only two PFAS compounds. These two compounds are part of a subcategory of PFAS called perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs). It has been a challenge for the environmental community to mitigate risks caused by PFAAs due to their high persistence and lack of effective measures to remove them from the environment, especially in heavily impacted areas like fire-training sites. The goal of this work was to further answer some questions regarding the removal of PFAAs in the environment by looking at anion exchange resin characteristics and presence of a competing compound, natural organic matter (NOM), in the adsorption of environmentally relevant PFAS compounds including the two often monitored 8-carbon chain PFAAs. Two different resins were tested with two forms of counterions, in both groundwater and NOM impacted groundwater. Resin polymer matrix was the most important property in the adsorption of PFAAs, the two resins used A520E and A860 had similar properties except for their matrices polystyrene (PS) and polyacrylic (PA), respectively. The PS base is most effective at PFAAs adsorption, while the PA is most effective at NOM adsorption. The change in the counterion did not negatively affect the adsorption of PFAAs and is, therefore, a viable alternative for future studies that include regeneration and destruction of PFAAs. The presence of NOM also did not significantly affect the adsorption of PFAAs in the PS resin A520E, although for some PFAAs compounds it did affect adsorption for the PA resin. Ultimately, PS macroporous resins with a strong Type I or Type II base work best in PFAAs removal. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Engineering 2019

SÖRAB:s återvinningsanläggning (ÅVA) i Hagby hanterar olika typer av avfall som t.ex. bygg- och rivningsavfall, textilier, grovavfall från hushåll, trädgårds-, elavfall samt farligt avfall. Vatten från behandlings- och lagringsytorna samlas upp, provtas och renas i anläggningens vattenreningsanläggning. Vid provtagning av processvattnet på anläggningen har poly- och perfluorerade alkylsubstanser (PFAS) påträffats. PFAS är ett samlingsnamn för flertalet syntetiskt tillverkade kemikalier och idag finns fler än 3000 olika PFAS-ämnen på världsmarknaden. PFAS har använts under många år i bl.a. brandsläckningsskum, impregneringsmedel samt vid tillverkning av teflon. Ämnena har tillverkats sedan 1950-talet men först under 00-talet uppmärksammades den miljöpåverkan som PFAS har. Syftet med projektresultatet är att förhindra eller reducera risken för ytterligare utsläpp av PFAS från föroreningskällan/föroreningskällorna. Målet var att undersöka och kartlägga vilka ytor/verksamheter som ger eller har gett upphov till PFAS i processvattnet samt ta fram förslag för hur föroreningskällan kan åtgärdas alternativt föreslå metoder för rening av slam och/eller vatten. Provtagning genomfördes på Hagby ÅVA genom stickprov i sju olika provpunkter under tre provomgångar med tre veckors mellanrum. Samtliga provpunkter vid samtliga provtagningar innehöll PFAS. Högsta halterna PFAS som påträffades i Hagby återvinningsanläggnings (ÅVA) processvatten synes i denna undersökning komma från de ytor där grovavfall, bygg- och rivningsavfall samt elektronikavfall sorteras och lagras. Då flödet på avrinningen från dessa ytor inte går att mäta på ett tillförlitligt sätt är det svårt att veta vilken yta som bidrar med störst mängd PFAS till vattenreningssystemet. Viss mängd PFAS kommer från vallen för inneslutna avfallsmassor som PFAS-halter från provpunkten visar. PFAS-halterna var konstanta vid samtliga provtagningar. Fortsatt kontroll av provpunkten behövs för att kontrollera att PFAS-halterna inte stiger, om så är fallet får vidare utredning av området genomföras. Förslag till åtgärd är att börja med att utreda hur bra reningsanläggningen, inklusive kolfiltret, på Hagby klarar av att rena PFAS från processvattnet. Frågor som behöver besvaras är hur mycket som släpps ut till recipienten och om PFAS/PFOS-halterna klarar riktvärdena. Ett annat förslag är även att slamsuga där det är möjligt samt undersöka om enskilda PFAS-källor kan identifieras och elimineras från ytorna. Metoder som anses lämpliga för rening av PFAS på Hagby är förslagsvis aktivt kol med ett ytterligare förfiltersteg med antracit eller sand för att förebygga igensättning av det befintliga kolfiltret på anläggningen. Förslag är att kontakta de anläggningar som använt sig av kombination av förfiltrering med antracit och kolfilter för att få information om erfarenheter av metoden, hur mycket PFAS-halter lyckats reduceras och kostnader för processen. En annan lämplig metod som har höga reningsgrader är jonbytarteknik (IEX). Försök behöver utföras specifikt för processvattnet på Hagby eftersom inga studier om rening av PFAS i vatten från ÅVA hittats i litteraturen. Nanofiltrering och omvänd osmos har hög effektivitet vid separering av PFAS. Nackdelen är att filtreringen inte är selektiv och att membranen riskerar att sättas igen vid behandling av processvattnet på Hagby ÅVA på grund av flera olika ämnen i vattnet. Fler metoder för behandling av PFAS är lovande som t.ex. elektrokemisk oxidation, biologisk behandling med kiselalger, plasmabehandling, ozonbehandling men är komplexa, dyra och behöver utvecklas samt effektiviseras för en möjlig uppskalning. / SÖRAB's recycling plant in Hagby handles various types of waste such as textiles, garden, electrical and hazardous waste. Water from the surfaces is collected, tested and purified in the plant's water treatment plant. When sampling the process water at the plant, poly- and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) have been found. PFAS is a collective name for the majority of synthetically manufactured chemicals and today there are more than 3000 different PFAS substances in the world market. PFAS has been used for many years in for example fire extinguishing foam, impregnating agents and in the manufacture of Teflon. The substances have been manufactured since the 1950s but the environmental impact of PFAS was first noticed in the 2000s. The purpose of the project result is to prevent or reduce the risk of further emissions of PFAS from the source of pollution/ pollutions. The aim was to investigate and map out the areas/ activities that give or have given rise to PFAS in the process water and to make proposals for how the source of pollution can be treated or to propose methods for the purification of sludge and/ or water. Sampling was carried out at Hagby recycling plant by sampling at seven different test points during three test runs at three-week intervals. All test points for all three sampling test runs contained PFAS. The highest levels of PFAS found in the process water of Hagby recycling plant appear in this study to come from the areas where construction, demolition and electronic waste are sorted and stored. Since the flow of the drainage from these surfaces cannot be measured reliably, it is difficult to know which surface contributes the greatest amount of PFAS to the water purification system. A certain amount of PFAS comes from the embankment for enclosed waste masses, as levels of PFAS from the test point show. Levels of PFAS were constant for all samples. Continued monitoring of the test point is needed to check that the levels of PFAS don not rise, if this is the case, further investigation of the area may be carried out Proposed action is to investigate how effective the treatment plant, including the carbon filter, at Hagby is to remove PFAS from the process water. Questions that need to be answered are how much is emitted to the recipient and whether levels of PFAS/PFOS can meet the guideline values. Another suggestion is also to remove sludge wherever possible and to investigate whether individual sources of PFAS can be identified and eliminated from the surfaces. Methods considered suitable for the purification of PFAS at Hagby recycling plant are activated carbon with an additional pre-filter step with anthracite or sand to prevent fouling of the existing carbon filter at the plant. Suggestion is to contact the plants that are using the combination of pre-filtration with anthracite and carbon filters to obtain information on the experience of the method, PFAS levels that have been successfully treated and costs for the process. Another suitable method is ion exchange technology (IEX). Experiments need to be carried out specifically for the process water at Hagby as no studies on purification of PFAS with water from recycling plants have been found in the literature. Nanofiltration and reverse osmosis have high efficiency in separating PFAS. The disadvantage is that the filtration is not selective and that the membranes run risk of fouling when treating the process water at Hagby recycling plant due to several different substances in the water. Several methods for treating PFAS are promising, e.g. electrochemical oxidation, biological treatment with silica algae, plasma treatment, ozone treatment but the methods are complex, expensive and need to be developed and made more efficient for a possible application in full scale.