Removal of perfluorooctane sulfonate from wastewater by anion exchange resins: effects of resin properties and solution chemistry

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is a new persistent organic pollutant of substantial environmental concern, and its removal from industrial wastewater is critical to eliminate its release into water environment. In this paper, six anion exchange resins with different polymer matrix, porosity, and functional group were evaluated for PFOS removal from simulated wastewater. Resin matrix displayed significant effect on the sorption kinetics and capacity of PFOS, and the polyacrylic resins including IRA67 and IRA958 exhibited faster sorption and higher sorption capacity for PFOS than the polystyrene resins due to the hydrophilic matrix. Sorption isotherms illustrated that the sorption capacity of PFOS on IRA67 and IRA958 was up to 4-5 mmol/g, and the amount of PFOS sorbed on the resins was more than chloride released from resins, indicating that other interactions besides anion exchange were involved in the sorption. Solution pH had little impact on the sorption of PFOS on IRA958, but displayed significant effect on IRA67 at pH above 10 due to the deprotonation of amine groups. The coexisting sulfate and hexavalent chromium in wastewater interfered with the sorption of PFOS because of their competitive sorption on the exchange sites. The spent resins were successfully regenerated using the mixture of NaCl and methanol solution. This work provided an understanding of sorption behavior and mechanism of PFOS on different anion exchange resins, and should result in more effective applications of ion exchange for PFOS removal from industrial wastewater.