(627i) Effect of Interfacial Properties on Foaming of per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Solutions

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of partially or fully fluorinated manmade organic chemicals. They have been widely used for many applications, such as aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs), non-stick cookware, and surfactants, due to their excellent chemical and thermal stability. However, PFAS are toxic and accumulative in organisms and the environment. Water resources have been contaminated by PFAS due to their surfactancy and tendency of being transported through the air-water interfaces. Foam fractionation is one of the promising remediation methods to remove surfactants and colloids from water resources. However, this process currently is not viable for PFAS removal. Therefore, fundamental studies should be performed on the relationships between the foaming properties of PFAS aqueous solutions and their interfacial properties, which play an important role in improving the effectiveness of foam fractionation. In the present work, we study the drainage and coarsening of bubbles in foams prepared by using PFAS with different chain lengths. Additionally, the air-water interfacial properties of PFAS are studied to further evaluate their effects on the foaming properties of PFAS.