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Influence of Water Concentrations of Perfluoroalkyl Acids (PFAAs) on Their Size-Resolved Enrichment in Nascent Sea Spray Aerosols
Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Environmental Science.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-2176-0709
Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Environmental Science.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6194-1491
Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Environmental Science.
Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Environmental Science.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7035-8660
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Number of Authors: 52021 (English)In: Environmental Science and Technology, ISSN 0013-936X, E-ISSN 1520-5851, Vol. 55, no 14, p. 9489-9497Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are persistent organic substances that have been widely detected in the global oceans. Previous laboratory experiments have demonstrated effective enrichment of PFAAs in nascent sea spray aerosols (SSA), suggesting that SSA are an important source of PFAAs to the atmosphere. In the present study, the effects of the water concentration of PFAAs on their size-resolved enrichment in SSA were examined using a sea spray simulation chamber. Aerosolization of the target compounds in almost all sizes of SSA revealed a strong linear relationship with their water concentrations (p < 0.05, r(2) > 0.9). The enrichment factors (EF) of the target compounds showed no correlation with their concentrations in the chamber water, despite the concentrations varying by a factor of 500 (similar to 0.3 to similar to 150 ng L-1). The particle surface-area-to-volume ratio appeared to be a key predictor of the enrichment of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) with >= 7 perfluorinated carbons and perfluoroalkanesulfonic acids (PFSAs) with >= 6 perfluorinated carbons in supermicron particles (p < 0.05, r(2) > 0.8), but not in submicron particles. The different enrichment behaviors of PFAAs in submicron and supermicron particles might be a result of the different production mechanisms of film droplets and jet droplets. The results suggest that the variability in seawater concentrations of PFAAs has little influence on EFs and that modeling studies designed to quantify the source of PFAAs via SSA emissions do not need to consider this factor.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2021. Vol. 55, no 14, p. 9489-9497
National Category
Environmental Engineering Earth and Related Environmental Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-197137DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c03804ISI: 000677482500011PubMedID: 32859129OAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-197137DiVA, id: diva2:1597937
Available from: 2021-09-28 Created: 2021-09-28 Last updated: 2025-01-31Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Transport of perfluoroalkyl acids from the ocean to the atmosphere via sea spray aerosol
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Transport of perfluoroalkyl acids from the ocean to the atmosphere via sea spray aerosol
2022 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are a subgroup of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that have been widely used in commercial and industrial applications. PFAAs are very persistent in the environment and some can bioaccumulate and have adverse health effects on human health. They have been detected ubiquitously in the abiotic environment, in biota and in humans. Long-range atmospheric transport (LRAT) is considered important for their global distribution. PFAAs are detected in the global oceans and they can be enriched in sea spray aerosol (SSA) due to their high surface activity. Thus, ocean-to-atmosphere transfer via sea spray aerosol emission is suggested to be one of the major sources of PFAAs to the atmosphere, yet the contribution of this source to PFAAs in air is not well-understood. The aim of this thesis is to improve the knowledge regarding the importance of SSA as a global source of PFAAs in the atmosphere. In Paper I, PFAA enrichment on SSA particles of different sizes was investigated via a series of laboratory experiments. A sea spray simulation chamber filled with sodium chloride solution (~35 g L-1) was used to generate SSA. The results showed that variation in PFAA water concentrations had little impact on the SSA enrichment factors (EFs). Furthermore, the results suggested that SSA production mechanisms result in different enrichment behaviors of individual PFAAs on <1 µm and >1µm SSA particles. Paper II provided clear field evidence that SSA can be an important source of PFAAs in the atmosphere. Significant positive correlations (p<0.05) were identified between the concentrations of PFAAs and SSA tracer ion (i.e. Na+) in aerosol samples collected at two Norwegian coastal sites during long-term air monitoring. Such correlations suggested that PFAAs transported via SSA can have a significant influence on their air concentrations in coastal areas. Aiming at bridging the gap between the lab and the field, in Paper III, a series of field experiments were conducted along a transect from ~50°N to ~50°S on the Atlantic Ocean. Changes in surface seawater temperature, salinity, conductivity and fluorescence during the field experiments revealed minor influences on EFs. However, the EFs derived from the field experiments were higher than the lab experiments in Paper I, which may be due to the different composition and properties of the chamber water in the two studies. It was concluded, however, that the variation of PFAA concentrations in the global oceans is the major contributor to the uncertainty in the estimation of PFAA ocean-to-air flux via SSA emission. Paper IV investigated mass-size distributions of PFAAs in aerosol samples collected near an industrial source and the associated LRAT potential of the PFAAs emitted. The results suggested that industrial sources can have regional influence on PFAA concentration in air. The information in Paper IV will help evaluate the relative importance of atmospheric sources of PFAAs at certain locations. This thesis contributes to a better understanding on the transport of PFAAs via SSA emission and on the sources of PFAAs to air in general.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Stockholm: Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, 2022. p. 27
Keywords
Perfluoroalkyl acids, PFAAs, Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS, atmospheric transport, sea spray aerosol, industrial sources
National Category
Environmental Sciences
Research subject
Environmental Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:su:diva-201703 (URN)978-91-7911-786-3 (ISBN)978-91-7911-787-0 (ISBN)
Public defence
2022-03-25, De Geersalen, Geovetenskapens hus, Svante Arrhenius väg 14, Stockholm, 10:00 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Funder
Swedish Research Council Formas, 2016-00644
Available from: 2022-03-02 Created: 2022-02-02 Last updated: 2022-02-21Bibliographically approved

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Sha, BoJohansson, Jana H.Benskin, Jonathan P.Cousins, Ian T.Salter, Matthew E.

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