Chapter 18
Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), Its
Occurrence, Fate, Transport
and Removal in Various Environmental
Media: A Review
Kiran Dhangar and Manish Kumar
18.1 Introduction
The widely used group of chemicals, perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), was first
manufactured during the 1950s. The robust carbon–fluorine bond in PFCs results in
distinctive physicochemical properties like high radiation, thermal, chemical, biological stability, water and oil repellence and high surface activity (Lindstrom et al.
2011; Giesy and Kannan 2001, 2002; 3M 1999; Key et al. 1997). These properties
reflected its use in various household, commercial and industrial applications like
upholsteries, carpets, leathers, oil-resistant coatings, paper and packaging for food
contact, firefighting foams, surfactants, emulsifiers, shampoos, large polymers, pesticides, insecticides, metal plating, electronics production, photography, non-stick
cookware, etc. (Baduel et al. 2015; Kostov et al. 2009; de Voogt and Sáez 2006;
Begley et al. 2005; Lehmler 2005; Kissa 2001). Due to its extensive usage, careless
disposal and direct-indirect discharge from manufacturing industries, it has been
detected worldwide in the environment consisting of water bodies (Ahrens et al.
2010; Rayne and Forest 2009; Berger et al. 2004; Saito et al. 2004; Sinclair et al.
2006), air (Dreyer and Ebinghaus 2009; Barber et al. 2007; Kim and Kannan 2007),
indoor dust (Björklund et al. 2009), human blood and serum samples (Bao et al.
2014; Kannan et al. 2004) as well as in various animals such as birds, fishes and
marine animals (Murakami et al. 2011; Yeung et al. 2009; Houde et al. 2006; Giesy
and Kannan 2001).
Various studies discuss the vunlnerability of the urban water to micropollutants (Kumar et al. 2019) and chemicals in the PFC family including perfluorooctane
alkyl acids (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS). However, PFOS has been
one of the most focused PFC during research due to its common occurrence at global
K. Dhangar · M. Kumar (B)
Discipline of Earth Science, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, Gujarat
382355, India
e-mail: manish.kumar@iitgn.ac.in
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
M. Kumar et al. (eds.), Contaminants in Drinking and Wastewater Sources,
Springer Transactions in Civil and Environmental Engineering,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4599-3_18
405
Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), Its
Occurrence, Fate, Transport
and Removal in Various Environmental
Media: A Review
Kiran Dhangar and Manish Kumar
18.1 Introduction
The widely used group of chemicals, perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), was first
manufactured during the 1950s. The robust carbon–fluorine bond in PFCs results in
distinctive physicochemical properties like high radiation, thermal, chemical, biological stability, water and oil repellence and high surface activity (Lindstrom et al.
2011; Giesy and Kannan 2001, 2002; 3M 1999; Key et al. 1997). These properties
reflected its use in various household, commercial and industrial applications like
upholsteries, carpets, leathers, oil-resistant coatings, paper and packaging for food
contact, firefighting foams, surfactants, emulsifiers, shampoos, large polymers, pesticides, insecticides, metal plating, electronics production, photography, non-stick
cookware, etc. (Baduel et al. 2015; Kostov et al. 2009; de Voogt and Sáez 2006;
Begley et al. 2005; Lehmler 2005; Kissa 2001). Due to its extensive usage, careless
disposal and direct-indirect discharge from manufacturing industries, it has been
detected worldwide in the environment consisting of water bodies (Ahrens et al.
2010; Rayne and Forest 2009; Berger et al. 2004; Saito et al. 2004; Sinclair et al.
2006), air (Dreyer and Ebinghaus 2009; Barber et al. 2007; Kim and Kannan 2007),
indoor dust (Björklund et al. 2009), human blood and serum samples (Bao et al.
2014; Kannan et al. 2004) as well as in various animals such as birds, fishes and
marine animals (Murakami et al. 2011; Yeung et al. 2009; Houde et al. 2006; Giesy
and Kannan 2001).
Various studies discuss the vunlnerability of the urban water to micropollutants (Kumar et al. 2019) and chemicals in the PFC family including perfluorooctane
alkyl acids (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS). However, PFOS has been
one of the most focused PFC during research due to its common occurrence at global
K. Dhangar · M. Kumar (B)
Discipline of Earth Science, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, Gujarat
382355, India
e-mail: manish.kumar@iitgn.ac.in
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
M. Kumar et al. (eds.), Contaminants in Drinking and Wastewater Sources,
Springer Transactions in Civil and Environmental Engineering,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4599-3_18
405