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-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 fluoratelomer-polymer degradation is a significant source of PFOA and other fluorinated compounds to the environment.
Washington
John W
JW
National Exposure Research Laboratory, USEPA, 960 College Station Road, Athens, Georgia 30605, USA. washington.john@epa.gov
Ellington
Jackson
J
Jenkins
Thomas M
TM
Evans
John J
JJ
Yoo
Hoon
H
Hafner
Sarah C
SC
D000179:Acrylates / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D002210:Caprylates / Q000032:analysis; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation; D005465:Fluorocarbon Polymers / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000032:analysis; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006845:Hydrocarbons, Fluorinated / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D015394:Molecular Structure; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry
D000179:Acrylates; D002210:Caprylates; D005465:Fluorocarbon Polymers; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D006845:Hydrocarbons, Fluorinated; D012989:Soil Pollutants; C540553:fluorotelomer acrylate polymers; C023036:perfluorooctanoic acid