Degradability of an Acrylate-Linked, Fluorotelomer Polymer in Soil

Fluorotelomer polymers are used in a broad array of products in modern societies worldwide and, if they degrade at significant rates, potentially are a significant source of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and related compounds to the environment. To evaluate this possibility, we incubated an acrylate...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science & technology 2009-09, Vol.43 (17), p.6617-6623
Main Authors: Washington, John W, Ellington, J. Jackson, Jenkins, Thomas M, Evans, John J, Yoo, Hoon, Hafner, Sarah C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acrylates - analysis
Acrylates - chemistry
Applied sciences
Biodegradation
Caprylates - analysis
Catalysis
Chromatography, Liquid
Environmental Processes
Environmental Restoration and Remediation
Exact sciences and technology
Fluorocarbon Polymers - analysis
Fluorocarbon Polymers - chemistry
Fluorocarbons - analysis
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
Hydrocarbons, Fluorinated - analysis
Hydrocarbons, Fluorinated - chemistry
Mass spectrometry
Models, Theoretical
Molecular Structure
Pollution
Polymers
Soil Pollutants - analysis
Soil Pollutants - chemistry
Soils
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Summary:Fluorotelomer polymers are used in a broad array of products in modern societies worldwide and, if they degrade at significant rates, potentially are a significant source of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and related compounds to the environment. To evaluate this possibility, we incubated an acrylate-linked fluorotelomer polymer in soil microcosms and monitored the microcosms for possible fluorotelomer (FT) and perfluorinated-compound (PFC) degradation products using GC/MS and LC/MS/MS. This polymer scavenged FTs and PFCs aggressively necessitating development of a multistep extraction using two solvents. Aged microcosms accumulated more FTs and PFCs than were present in the fresh polymer indicating polymer degradation with a half-life of about 870−1400 years for our coarse-grained test polymer. Modeling indicates that more-finely grained polymers in soils might have half-lives of about 10−17 years assuming degradation is surface-mediated. In our polymer-soil microcosms, PFOA evidently was lost with a half-life as short as 130 days, possibly by polymer-catalyzed degradation. These results suggest that fluorotelomer-polymer degradation is a significant source of PFOA and other fluorinated compounds to the environment.
ISSN:0013-936X
1520-5851
DOI:10.1021/es9002668