Natural materials as sustainable adsorbents for per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances remediation in real water systems
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31102/eam.3.1.1-22Keywords:
PFAS, real water, treatment, removal, mechanismAbstract
The persistence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in aquatic environments continues to pose significant challenges for water treatment, particularly under real-world conditions where the presence of co-contaminants and matrix complexity substantially reduce removal efficiency. This review provides a comprehensive evaluation of natural adsorbents for PFAS remediation, emphasizing adsorption performance in relation to key operational parameters such as adsorbent dosage, initial PFAS concentration, pH, contact time, and removal efficiency. Natural adsorbents such as biochar, clays, zeolites, and agricultural residues have demonstrated promising adsorption capacities, primarily determined by their surface functional groups and porous structures. Adsorption kinetics reported in previous studies were predominantly described by pseudo-second-order (PSO) models, suggesting that chemisorption is the main controlling mechanism. Desorption analyses further revealed that PFAS adsorbent interactions were not always stable. Elevated ionic strength and the presence of dissolved organic matter frequently promoted PFAS release, thereby raising concerns about adsorbent reusability and long-term stability. Notably, long-chain PFAS generally formed strong monolayer adsorption patterns consistent with Langmuir behavior, whereas short-chain PFAS exhibited more heterogeneous and reversible adsorption trends, as predicted by Freundlich models. This review underscores both the potential and the limitations of natural adsorbents for PFAS removal under environmentally relevant water matrices. While adsorption has proven effective in many laboratory-scale studies, desorption and regeneration remain critical barriers to practical application. To address these issues, future research should prioritize surface modification strategies, the development of hybrid composite materials, and pilot-scale investigations to validate long-term performance and field applicability.
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