Mineralogical controls on PFAS and anthropogenic anions in subsurface soils and aquifers

Marina G. Evich (), James Ferreira, Oluwaseun Adeyemi, Paul A. Schroeder, Jason C. Williams, Brad Acrey, Diana Burdette, Malcolm Grieve, Michael P. Neill, Kevin Simmons, Brian C. Striggow, Samuel B. Cohen, Mike Cyterski, Donna A. Glinski, W. Matthew Henderson, Du Yung Kim and John W. Washington ()
Additional contact information
Marina G. Evich: Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling
James Ferreira: USEPA, Region 4
Oluwaseun Adeyemi: University of Georgia
Paul A. Schroeder: University of Georgia
Jason C. Williams: Bureau of Land and Waste Management
Brad Acrey: Laboratory Services and Applied Sciences Division
Diana Burdette: Laboratory Services and Applied Sciences Division
Malcolm Grieve: Laboratory Services and Applied Sciences Division
Michael P. Neill: Laboratory Services and Applied Sciences Division
Kevin Simmons: Laboratory Services and Applied Sciences Division
Brian C. Striggow: Laboratory Services and Applied Sciences Division
Samuel B. Cohen: Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling
Mike Cyterski: Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling
Donna A. Glinski: Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling
W. Matthew Henderson: Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling
Du Yung Kim: Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling
John W. Washington: Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) migrate into the environment through various means, e.g., soil-amendment impurities and ambient atmospheric deposition, potentially resulting in vegetative uptake and migration to groundwater. Existing approaches for modeling sorption of PFAS commonly treat soil as an undifferentiated homogeneous medium, with distribution constants (e.g., Kd, Koc) generated empirically using surface soils. Considering the limited mineral variety expected in weathered geologic media, PFAS mobility can be better understood by accounting for predictable mineral assemblages that are ubiquitously distributed in US soils. Here we explore the role of minerals and electrostatic sorption in controlling PFAS mobility in subsurface settings at contaminated agricultural sites by measuring geochemical parameters and PFAS, and calculating pH-dependent mineral surface charges through full soil and aquifer columns. These data suggest subsurface mobility of short-chain PFAS largely is controlled by aluminum-oxide mineral(oid) electrostatic sorption, whereas long-chain PFAS mobility is controlled by organic matter and air-water interfacial area.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-58040-w

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