Occurrence,\nTransport, and Full-Scale Adsorptive Removal\nof PFAS in Electroplating Parks in China

The\nelectroplating industry is an important source of per- and\npolyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination, but there is a lack\nof comprehensive studies on the occurrence, transport, and removal\nof PFAS in electroplating parks. In this study, we investigated typical\nelectroplating parks in China and conducted the first full-scale removal\nof PFAS from chromium-plating wastewater using pore-enlarged granular\nactivated carbon (GAC) and hydrophobic anion exchange resin (AER).\nThe results showed that 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate (6:2 FTS) gradually\nreplaced perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) in China’s electroplating\nindustry. The conventional reduction-sedimentation process hardly\nremoved 6:2 FTS from chromium-plating wastewater, while the special\nair flotation process resulted in over 60% of PFOS entering the chromium\nsludge cake. Based on the full-scale evaluation, GAC and AER adsorption\nwere feasible technologies for removing PFAS from chromium-plating\nwastewater, among which AER had higher adsorption capacity and removal\nefficiency for PFAS but poorer selectivity for 6:2 FTS than for PFOS.\nIt is estimated that GAC and AER adsorption have the potential to\nreduce the discharge of PFAS by 5030–8000 kg/year in China.\nThis study reveals the current status of PFAS contamination in China’s\nelectroplating industry and provides feasible technologies for PFAS\ncontrol.