Enhancing global prediction of PFAS pollutant fate in sediment

该项目将建立一个独特的全球研究伙伴关系，重点研究全氟烷基物质和多氟烷基物质(全氟烷基物质)污染的沉积物。PFAS底泥污染是人类活动和工业过程造成的一个普遍而持久的问题。多年来，全氟辛烷磺酸混合物在淡水和海岸系统的细小沉积物中积累，形成了高度浓缩的化学混合物，可以通过物理、化学和生物机制释放到水中。在欧洲和英国，已经确定了17,000多个全氟辛烷磺酸浓度较高的地点，这些地点往往远离其主要来源，浓度超过阈值限值的500倍。由于它们具有很高的持久性和耐降解性，对野生动物和水环境造成了极大的危害。然而，对影响其在水生系统中的去向和迁移的主要物理和化学过程以及全氟辛烷磺酸混合物之间的相互作用缺乏了解。该项目将建立一个新的国际研究伙伴关系，侧重于受污染沉积物造成的风险，通过进行专门的实验调查和预测模型来弥合这一知识鸿沟。重点将集中在定量了解全氟辛烷磺酸在沉积物中的动员情况，水体水动力和地球化学过程如何影响与细微沉积物相结合的全氟辛烷磺酸的去向和迁移。这一研究成果将提供一个多维的方法来描述水体沉积物中污染物的行为和混合物的相互作用，这将加强现有的模型，如水质分析模拟程序(WASP8)和污染沉积物的补救设计(CapSim 4)，这两个模型都被国际上的利益相关者、学术界和工业界用来描述水体沉积物中的污染物行为和混合物的相互作用。

This project will establish a unique global research partnership focused on studying sediments contaminated by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS sediment pollution is a widespread and persistent issue caused by human activities and industrial processes. Over the years, PFAS mixtures have accumulated in fine sediment deposits in freshwater and coastal systems, creating a store of highly concentrated chemical mixtures that can be released into the water through physical, chemical, and biological mechanisms. In Europe and the UK, over 17,000 sites with high concentrations of PFAS have been identified, often far from their main sources, with concentrations exceeding 500 times the threshold limits. These "forever chemicals" are extremely harmful to wildlife and the aquatic environment due to their high persistence and resistance to degradation. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the primary physical and chemical processes responsible for their fate and transport in aquatic systems, as well as the mutual interaction of PFAS mixtures. This project will establish a new international research partnership focused on the risks posed by contaminated sediment to bridge this knowledge gap by conducting bespoke experimental investigations and prediction modelling. The focus will be on the quantitative understanding of the mobilisation of PFAS in sediments, how waterbody hydrodynamics and geochemical processes impact the fate and transport of PFAS bound to fine sediments. This research outcome will provide a multidimensional approach to describe pollutant behavior and mixture interactions in waterbody sediment that will enhance existing models, such as the Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program (WASP8) and the Remedial Design of Contaminated Sediments (CapSim 4), both used internationally by stakeholders, academia, and industry to describe pollutant behaviour and mixture interactions in waterbody sediment.