Publication detail

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Treatments to Remove Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from Water—Are We Using the Right Approach? Proposal of a Paradigm Shift from “Chemical Only” towards an Integrated Bio-Chemical Assessment

CARNEVALE MIINO, M. HALEŠOVÁ, T. MACSEK, T. RAČEK, J. HLAVÍNEK, P.

Original Title

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Treatments to Remove Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from Water—Are We Using the Right Approach? Proposal of a Paradigm Shift from “Chemical Only” towards an Integrated Bio-Chemical Assessment

Type

journal article in Web of Science

Language

English

Original Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have been under intense investigation by the scientific community due to their persistence in the environment and potentially hazardous effects on living organisms. In order to tackle the presence of these compounds in water, to date, the research has been strongly focused on the evaluation of the effectiveness of different types of technologies. Considering the extreme complexity of the matter of PFASs and our relatively low knowledge in this topic, the following question arises: is the “chemical only” approach that is followed for evaluating the effectiveness of technologies for PFAS removal from water reliable enough? In this work, some limitations of the present approach are discussed, highlighting the reasons why it cannot be considered a reliable tool to correctly estimate the effectiveness of technology when referring to emerging compounds such as PFASs. Bioassays can play a key role in moving towards an integrated bio-chemical evaluation (chemical analysis and ecotoxicological evaluation), which is strongly encouraged. This represents the only way to completely characterize a water matrix and fully evaluate the impact of technologies when dealing with micropollutants in water, such as PFASs. Future research should focus on defining an optimal battery of bioassays that specifically fit to best represent changes in water quality in terms of short- and long-term impacts on living organisms.

Keywords

PFAS; emerging contaminants; toxicity; bioassays; ecotoxicology; persistent compounds

Authors

CARNEVALE MIINO, M.; HALEŠOVÁ, T.; MACSEK, T.; RAČEK, J.; HLAVÍNEK, P.

Released

28. 9. 2023

Publisher

MDPI

Location

Basel, Switzerland

ISBN

2571-8797

Periodical

Clean Technologies

Year of study

5

Number

4

State

Swiss Confederation

Pages from

1203

Pages to

1213

Pages count

11

URL

Full text in the Digital Library

BibTex

@article{BUT184810,
  author="Marco {Carnevale Miino} and Taťána {Halešová} and Tomáš {Macsek} and Jakub {Raček} and Petr {Hlavínek}",
  title="Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Treatments to Remove Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from Water—Are We Using the Right Approach? Proposal of a Paradigm Shift from “Chemical Only” towards an Integrated Bio-Chemical Assessment",
  journal="Clean Technologies",
  year="2023",
  volume="5",
  number="4",
  pages="1203--1213",
  doi="10.3390/cleantechnol5040060",
  issn="2571-8797",
  url="https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8797/5/4/60"
}