PROJECT TITLE: Permeation of Fluorotelomer Alcohols through Landfill Covers and Liners

Project Sponsor: Hinkley Center for Solid and Hazardous Waste Management

Project Duration: Oct. 01, 2024 - Sept. 30, 2025

Project Overview

The objective of this project is to determine the permeability of representative volatile per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) (i.e., fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs)) through high-density polyethylene (HDPE) membrane, which is widely used in landfill liners and sometimes used in landfill covers. Task 1 (i.e., Permeation experiments) of this project will experimentally study the permeation of four FTOHs in water (i.e., 4:2, 6:2, 8:2, and 10:2 FTOH) through HDPE at four temperatures (i.e., 40, 50, 60, and 70 °C). Task 2 (i.e., Permeation modeling) of this project will mathematically determine the four permeation parameters by fitting the experimental data from Task 1 with two mathematical models. Four permeability parameters include permeation, diffusion and partition coefficients and breakthrough time. Task 3 (i.e., Low FTOH concentration experiment) will evaluate the permeation of FTOHs through HDPE membrane at an environmentally relevant concentration. Task 4 (i.e., Vapor-phase experiment) will evaluate the permeation of vapor-phase FTOHs.

Project Team

Dr. Youneng Tang (PI), Mojtaba Nouri Goukeh (graduate assistant), Dennis Ssekimpi (Graduate assistant), Maeve Storm (Undergraduate assistant), Sabrina Clark (Undergraduate assistant)