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The Use of Air Pollution Controls to Reduce the Gas-phase Emissions of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from a Fluoropolymer Manufacturing Facility
Citation:
Shields, E., W. Roberson, J. Ryan, AND S. Jackson. The Use of Air Pollution Controls to Reduce the Gas-phase Emissions of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from a Fluoropolymer Manufacturing Facility. Environmental Science & Technology Letters. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, , 0, (2025). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.5c00402
Impact/Purpose:
Effective pollution control technologies are needed to minimize or eliminate fluorinated emissions to the environment from manufactures and users of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This article uses Other Test Method (OTM)-50 to evaluate a thermal oxidizer and carbon adsorption beds used to control organic fluorinated compound emissions.
Description:
The efficacies of a thermal oxidizer and carbon adsorption beds used as air pollution control technologies at a fluoropolymer manufacturing facility were evaluated for nonpolar volatile fluorinated compounds (VFCs) using Other Test Method (OTM)-50. The target compounds for OTM-50 include industrial fluorocarbons, common products of incomplete combustion, reaction byproducts, and common refrigerants. The thermal oxidizer’s emissions were found to contain tetrafluoromethane, CF4. Emissions from the carbon adsorption beds used to scrub the fugitive air emissions for two vinyl ether synthesis facilities were sampled and the analyses showed that the compounds with boiling points below 100 °C were not effectively adsorbed. This research shows that the thermal oxidizer is effective at destroying high concentration streams of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and that the carbon beds can reduce emissions for compounds with boiling points over 100 °C.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: The Use of Air Pollution Controls to Reduce the Gas-phase Emissions of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from a Fluoropolymer Manufacturing Facility