Bench-Scale Assessment of NMR and Complex Resistivity (CR) Screening Technologies for Rapid Assessment of PFAS in Soils and Sediments
Abstract
The significant sorption of PFASs onto soils opens the door to the possibility that two existing geophysical technologies, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and complex resistivity(CR), might show some measurable response to high PFAS concentrations in AFFF source zones. This exploratory project investigated the hypothesis that, "sorption of PFAS compounds onto soil-fluid interfaces will result in a detectable CR and/or NMR response". Specific objectives of the project focused on evaluating the potential for using these technologies as rapid screening tools for evaluation of PFASs in soils and sediments. The study conclusively showed that the low-field NMR geophysical method does not have adequate sensitivity to detect PFAS in soils. In contrast, laboratory measurements provided evidence that sorption of PFAS contaminants onto artificial and natural soils may result in a detectable CR signature. CR signals on artificial soils saturated with synthetic PFAS-contaminated groundwater captured the temporal evolution of a polarization attributed to PFAS sorption.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1202924
Entities
People
- Charles E Schaefer
- Kristina Keating
- Lee D. Slater
- Samuel Falzone
Organizations
- Rutgers University–Newark