(321b) Adsorption of PFAS Using Ion Exchanged Beta Zeolite

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances(PFAS) widely produced since the 1940s have a broad range of uses in consumer and industrial products. The persistence of PFAS in the environment, and the associated health risks, have called for monitoring and remediation of PFAS in drinking water in the US and around the world. Zeolites have been shown to be effective sorbents. While traditional sorbent materials such as activated carbon and ion exchange resins are being used to remove PFAS from municipal drinking water, the materials are not easily regenerated in situ. Zeolites have been identified as sorbent materials with the potential to be regenerated on location and demonstrate selectivity for sorbing PFAS. Zeolites have a wide range of pore openings and tunable properties, making them ideal for removing both short- and long-chain PFAS from the environment. Currently, there is minimal research investigating zeolites for sorption of PFAS. The ion exchange of zeolites has been shown to change the properties of zeolites to increase catalytic or adsorptive capability. In this presentation, experimental data for ion exchanged zeolite CP814E will be shown and how the adsorption properties change with varying metals, and different loadings. The adsorption of PFAS is generally increased after ion exchange from the hydrogen form, with some metals showing 50-100% increase in adsorption in HPLC water. Thermal regeneration of these zeolites is also shown to recover most of the adsorptive capacity.