Exploring Perfluoroalky and Polyfluoroalky Substance Presenceand Potential Leaching from Reverse Osmosis Membranes: Implications for Drinking Water Treatment

“Reverse osmosis (RO) is increasingly used in drinking water production to effectivel remove micropollutants,such as perfluoroalky and polyfluoroalky substances (PFAS).However, RO membranes themselves may contain PFAS, which can potentially leach into treated drinking water. Leaching experiments and direct total oxidizable precursor assays revealed the presence and leaching potential of PFOS (branched and linear), PFBA, PFHxA, PFNA, and PFOA in fiv selected commercial RO membranes. This resulted in the release of tens
of milligrams of ΣPFAS per membrane element used in drinking water production. Depending on assumptions made regarding leaching kinetics and volume of produced water per membrane element, predicted concentrations of ΣPFAS in the produced water ranged from less than one up to hundreds of pg/L. These concentrations are two to four orders of magnitude lower than those currently observed in Dutch drinking waters. The origin of PFAS in the membranes remains unclear. Further research is needed tobridge the gap between the laboratory conditions as used in this study and the real-world conditions and for a full understanding ofpotential leaching scenarios. Such an understanding is critical for water producers using RO technologies to proactively manage andmitigate potential PFAS contamination.”

(Citation: Sadia, M., Laak, T.L. ter, Cornelissen, E.R., Wezel, A.P. van – Exploring Perfluoroalky and Polyfluoroalky Substance Presenceand Potential Leaching from Reverse Osmosis Membranes: Implications for Drinking Water Treatment – Environmental Sciences & Technology 58(2024)35, p.15799-15806 – DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c04743 – (Open Access))

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