Sorption, Leachability, and Transport of AFFF Impacted Concrete Materials

The mobility and subsequent release of PFAS within concrete structures has been identified as an immediate concern by air and maritime transportation industrial entities, however, very little is known about the rates of ingress and egress of PFAS. Identifying the rates of sorption/desorption from concrete will allow for a more thorough assessment of site remedial needs and help better understand the pathways of PFAS transport from release to concrete, soil, groundwater, etc. Regulation of several PFAS has occurred in many states, including states with production facilities and military sites. There are over 9,000 compounds in the PFAS family, of which many bioaccumulate and persist in the environment. Although the distribution of AFFF in concrete is dependent on the specific composition of the AFFF and the concrete, the overall controlling factors of vertical and lateral PFAS distribution are application rates, co-contaminants such as hydrocarbon fuels, and durability of the concrete. Even though there has been a transition away from PFOS and PFOA based AFFFs, application areas have already been contaminated, along with other perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs), perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids (PFSAs), and fluorotelomer sulfonates (FTSs). Extensive studies have been undergone to determine the fate and transport of PFAS in soil and water, however, extraordinarily little is known about PFAS in construction building materials, particularly with respect to concrete itself. This project will analyze the leaching potential in surrogate AFFF-impacted concrete samples and assess the continued leaching of PFAS undergoing carbonation, freeze-thaw cycling, salt penetration, and a combination thereof.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $330000
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348335

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Environmentally Responsible Transportation Center for Communities of Concern

  University of Missouri Kansas City
  Kansas City, Missouri  United States  64110
• Project Managers:

  Kline, Robin

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Missouri, Kansas City

  Department of Civil Engineering
  5100 Rockhill Road, Flarsheim Hall
  Kansas City, MO  United States  64110
• Principal Investigators:

  Hart, Megan

• Start Date: 20230601
• Expected Completion Date: 20240531
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Concrete structures; Contaminants; Foams; Leaching; Sorption; Synthetics
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01895579
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Environmentally Responsible Transportation Center for Communities of Concern
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348335
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Oct 6 2023 5:26PM