A Regionalized Emission Model to Understand PFAS Emission Pathways in the Upper Danube Catchment

This is an abstract prepared for the IWA 21st Internation Conference on Diffuse Pollutin & Eutrophication (https://iwadipcon2024.com/). Within the framework of the EU project PROMISCES case study 2, we conducted a monitoring campaign lasting 1.5 years, covering six compartments in the upper Danube catchment, extending down to city of Budapest. With the help of monitoring data to understand pollution sources for 18 PFAS substances, and selected river gauges providing possibility for model validation, we further developed an adapted version of the regionalized emission model MoRE. This model enables us to estimate the spatial and temporal variability of several PFASs inputs to the river network in forms of loads and concentrations, from both point sources and various diffuse pathways. The model results provide valuable insights to support water management efforts, particularly in targeted PFAS pollution monitoring and mitigation strategies.