Grantee Research Project Results
2024 Progress Report: Evaluating PFAS Occurrence and Fate in Rural Water Supplies and Agricultural Operations to Inform Management Strategies
EPA Grant Number: R840082Title: Evaluating PFAS Occurrence and Fate in Rural Water Supplies and Agricultural Operations to Inform Management Strategies
Investigators: Lee, Linda S. , Pennell, Kurt , Preisendanz, Heather
Institution: Purdue University
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: September 1, 2020 through August 31, 2023 (Extended to August 31, 2025)
Project Period Covered by this Report: September 1, 2023 through August 31,2024
Project Amount: $1,609,344
RFA: National Priorities: Research on PFAS Impacts in Rural Communities and Agricultural Operations (2020) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Water , Land and Waste Management
Progress Summary:
For Objective 1, Purdue collected additional surface water samples in summer 2023 and spring 2023, bring the total surface water sampling locations to 168 of which 37 locations were sampled temporally. Overall results aligned with our previous observation of surface water being more vulnerable to PFAS contamination compared to well water due to the prevalence of tile drainage networks and the restrictive glacial aquifer system obtainable in the watershed. Total PFAS in groundwater was
For Objective 3, Purdue published our findings on the VA reclamation site lysimeter study evaluating x1 and x5 biosolids application rate as well as effect of applying a biosolids-mulch blend, and blended (Peter et al. 2024). We concluded that blending biosolids with mulch prior to land application substantially reduced leaching of long-chain PFAS and as such merit additional exploration as a management strategy. Purdue continued to progress on the VA HRSD Progress Agricultural Farm study completing extraction and analysis of additional groundwater samples and a dozen 6-8 ft soil cores. For groundwater, 12 PFAS were detected in all collections with short-chain PFCAs dominating. Of all the PFAS, PFOA had the highest maximum concentration in groundwater (221.4 ng/l), followed by PFPeA (92.9 ng/L), PFHxA (78.2 ng/L) and PFBS (71.1 ng/L) detected in a shallow well located around a sandy-loam soil series and bordering a shallow freshwater lake. PFAS concentrations overall were higher in the shallow wells located in a sandy-loam and were over 2 orders of magnitude lower in the winter and spring months reflecting both soil properties, groundwater-surface water interactions may be influencing PFAS transport dynamics at the site. Two Purdue greenhouse studies with soybeans and feed grasses with and without sorbent (wood ash) mitigation showed wood ash decreased PFAS uptake substantially. Larger PFAS like PFOS did not enter the bean of the soybean plant as also observed for corn in the field where PFOS did not translocate into corn kernels or corn cobs.
For Objective 5, Brown University completed a series of batch, column and modeling studies designed to investigate PFAS leaching in unsaturated soils. In the presence of PFOS, PFOA retention was less than anticipated based on single-solute behavior, and effluent breakthrough curves exhibited chromatographic peaking (i.e., concentrations greater than the applied concentration). A mathematical model that incorporated sorption at the air-water interface (AWI) and accounts for simultaneous flow and transport of multiple PFAS species was able to capture experimental observations with a consistent set of parameters and minimal curve fitting. Brown also completed a comparison of field-scale leaching models in collaboration with Purdue for biosolids land application and Penn State for wastewater irrigation. We evaluated the ability of three unsaturated flow and transport models, PRZM5, LEACHM, and HYDRUS-1D, to predict the distribution of PFAS in the soil profiles at the two sites. The models were modified to include AWI adsorption. LEACHM and HYDRUS-1D both captured the observed retention of PFOS and PFOA over a 50-year simulation period; PRZM5 did not due to its ‘tipping bucket’ approach for water flow. Differences in the approach used to calculate the AWI area resulted in LEACHM predicting greater AWI accumulation of PFOS and PFOA compared to HYDRUS-1D. These findings indicate that mathematical models that directly account for unsaturated water flow and adsorption at the AWI can provide reasonable predictions of long-term PFAS leaching resulting from land-application of wastewater effluent.
Future Activities:
Most of our work in the last year of this project will be data synthesis, manuscript writing, and dissertation defenses. and manuscript writing. The rest of the work will be to complete the modeling of field data for the east coast site and a west coast site, completion of the sample and data processing for the soybean greenhouse study and wrapping up the feed grass greenhouse study through the 3rd cutting. We anticipate completing publication of 2 manuscripts currently in review and submitting eight additional manuscripts in 2025 resulting from Obj. 1, 3, 5 and 6. In addition, two PhD students will complete their dissertations and graduate. MWON sampling data will be combined with groundwater samples collected by the PA Department of Environmental Protection, along with spatial data regarding potential PFAS sources across the state to identify the relative importance of various predictor variables (i.e., point sources, well properties, soi properties). Data obtained from the Living Filter site will be combined with concentrations of pharmaceutical and personal care products in the same wells that were collected in 2017-2019, and nitrate data collected during the same years as this current study (2019-2023) to understand the co-occurrence of multiple contaminants at the wastewater irrigation site.
References:
Publications
Garza-Rubalcava, U., C. Klevan, K.D. Pennell, L.M. Abriola. 2024. Transport and competitive interfacial adsorption of PFOA and PFOS in unsaturated porous media: experiments and modeling. Water Research, doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2024.122728
Mroczko, O., H.E. Preisendanz, C. Wilson, M.L. Mashtare, H.A. Elliott, T.L. Veith, K.J. Soder, and J.E. Watson. Spatiotemporal patterns of PFAS in water and crop tissue at a beneficial wastewater reuse site in central Pennsylvania. J. Environ. Quality, 51(6): 1282-1297. doi:10.1002/jeq2.20408
Peter, Lynda, Modiri-Gharehveran, M., Alvarez-Campos, O., Evanylo, G.K., Lee, L.S. 2024. PFAS Fate Using Lysimeters During Degraded Soil Reclamation Using Biosolids. J. Environ. Qual., https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20576
Presentations
Lee, L.S., PFAS Fate After Land-Application of Biosolids, NACWA PFAS Workshop, Virtual, Sept. 17, 2024.
Liao, S., U. Garza-Rubalcava, L.M. Abriola, H.E. Preisendanz, L.S. Lee, K.D. Pennell. 2024. Simulating PFAS transport in effluent-irrigated farmland using PRZM5, LEACHM, and HYDRUS-1D models. J. of Environ. Quality,
Peter Lynda and Linda Lee. Impact of Soil Properties on PFAS Fate and Transport following Long-term Application of Biosolids. ASA/SSSA, St. Louis Missouri, Oct 29-Nov 1, 2023.
Peter Lynda and Linda Lee. Sources and pathways of PFAS occurrence in water sources: Relative contribution of land-applied biosolids. ACS, New Orleans, Louisiana Mar 17-20, 2024.
Peter Lynda and Linda Lee. Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in groundwater following long-term land application of biosolids. NGWA, Tucson, Arizona April 16-17, 2024.
Journal Articles on this Report : 5 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other project views: | All 22 publications | 6 publications in selected types | All 6 journal articles |
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Garza-Rubalvaca U, Klevan C, Pennell K, Abriola L. Transport and competitive interfacial adsorption of PFOA and PFOS in unsaturated porous media: Experiments and modeling. WATER RESEARCH 2025;268 |
R840082 (2023) R840082 (2024) |
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Kosiarski K, Veith TL, Kibuye FA, Fetter J, Boser S, Vanden Heuvel JP, Thompson CL, Preisendanz HE. Geospatial and socioeconomic factors of PFAS contamination in private drinking water wells:Insights for monitoring and management. Journal of Environmental Management. 2025 Jul 1:388:125863. |
R840082 (2024) |
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Peter L, Modiri‐Gharehveran M, Alvarez‐Campos O, Evanylo GK, Lee LS. PFAS fate using lysimeters during degraded soil reclamation using biosolids. J Environ Qual. 2025;54(1):41-53. doi:10.1002/jeq2.20576 |
R840082 (2024) |
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Liao S, Garza‐Rubalcava U, Abriola LM, Preisendanz HE, Lee LS, Pennell KD. Simulating PFAS transport in effluent‐irrigated farmland using PRZM5, LEACHM, and HYDRUS‐1D models. J Environ Qual. 2025;54(1):54-65. doi:10.1002/jeq2.20639. |
R840082 (2024) |
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Peter LG, Lee LS. Sources and Pathways of PFAS Occurrence in Water Sources:Relative Contribution of Land-Applied Biosolids in an Agricultural Dominated Watershed. Environmental Science & Technology. 2025;Jan 21;59(2):1344-1353. |
R840082 (2024) |
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Supplemental Keywords:
biosolids, effluent irrigation, crop uptake, transport, biotransformation, interfacial adsorptionProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.