Characterization of PFAS Using Temperature-Programmed-Desorption Direct Analysis in Real Time Coupled with Mass Spectrometry

CATALINA BOTERO-CARRIZOSA, Emily Halpern, Alexander Laskin, Purdue University

     Abstract Number: 343
     Working Group: Chemicals of Emerging Concern in Aerosol: Sources, Transformations, and Impacts

Abstract
Poly and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are considered “forever chemicals” which have drawn attention for their accumulation in water, soil, and organisms, leading to adverse environmental and health impacts. Due to the recent discovery of PFAS found in aerosols released from wildfires, agricultural systems, or oceans spray, PFAS-containing aerosols can travel long distances through the atmosphere. Thus, PFAS species are regarded as contaminants of concern that require identification, quantitation, and evaluation of their gas-particle partitioning in aerosol. In this study, we develop an innovative experimental methodology for the untargeted detection and quantitation of PFAS through temperature-programmed-desorption direct analysis in real time (TPD-DART) coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) for chemical identification and triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (QqQ) for practical applicability and sensitive quantitation. This method requires no sample preparation and yields temperature-resolved measurements particularly important to derive condensed phase-to-gas partitioning parameters, such as apparent enthalpies of evaporation and saturation mass concentration.