Multimedia fate modeling of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) in the shallow lake Chaohu, China

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 237; pp. 339 - 347
• Main Authors: Kong, Xiangzhen, Liu, Wenxiu, He, Wei, Xu, Fuliu, Koelmans, Albert A., Mooij, Wolf M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2018
• Subjects: anthropogenic activities; Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management; Aquatische Ecologie en Waterkwaliteitsbeheer; China; ecosystem services; ecosystems; freshwater; freshwater lakes; Freundlich sorption; human health; humans; IMARES Onderzoeksformatie; Lake Chaohu; Leerstoelgroep Aquatische ecologie en waterkwaliteitsbeheer; model validation; Multimedia fate model; Onderzoeksformatie; PE&RC; perfluorooctane sulfonic acid; Perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS); perfluorooctanoic acid; Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA); pollution; soil; sorption; surface water; uncertainty; volatilization; WIMEK; China; Freundlich sorption; Perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS); Multimedia fate model; Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA); Lake Chaohu
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.02.026
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424

Freshwater shallow lake ecosystems provide valuable ecological services to human beings. However, these systems are subject to severe contamination from anthropogenic sources. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS), are among the contaminants that have received substantial attention, primarily due to abundant applications, environment persistence, and potential threats to ecological and human health. Understanding the environmental behavior of these contaminants in shallow freshwater lake environments using a modeling approach is therefore critical. Here, we characterize the fate, transport and transformation of both PFOA and PFOS in the fifth largest freshwater lake in China (Chaohu) during a two-year period (2013–2015) using a fugacity-based multimedia fate model. A reasonable agreement between the measured and modeled concentrations in various compartments confirms the model's reliability. The model successfully quantifies the environmental processes and identifies the major sources and input pathways of PFOA and PFOS to the Chaohu water body. Sensitivity analysis reveals the critical role of nonlinear Freundlich sorption, which contributes to a variable fraction of the model true uncertainty in different compartments (8.1%–93.6%). Through additional model scenario analyses, we further elucidate the importance of nonlinear Freundlich sorption that is essential for the reliable model performance. We also reveal the distinct composition of emission sources for the two contaminants, as the major sources are indirect soil volatilization and direct release from human activities for PFOA and PFOS, respectively. The present study is expected to provide implications for local management of PFASs pollution in Lake Chaohu and to contribute to developing a general model framework for the evaluation of PFASs in shallow lakes. [Display omitted] •A multimedia fate model is developed for PFOA and PFOS in shallow lakes.•The model provides reasonable fit to the monthly observations over two years.•An overview of major environmental processes of the contaminants is presented.•PFOA and PFOS have distinct local emission sources in the lake environment.•Nonlinear sorption is critical for environmental distribution of both contaminants.