Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 1, 2026
Integrated Field Lysimetry and Porewater Sampling for Evaluation of Chemical Mobility in Soils and Established Vegetation
Published on: July 4, 2014
Evaluation of the Transformation and Leaching Behavior of Two Polyfluoroalkyl Phosphate Diesters in a Field Lysimeter
René Lämmer1, Eva Weidemann2, Bernd Göckener1
1Department of Environmental and Food Analysis, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Auf dem Aberg 1, 57392 Schmallenberg, Germany.
Abstract:
In this study, 6:2 and 8:2 polyfluoroalkyl phosphate diester (diPAP) were individually investigated in lysimeters under near-natural conditions. Leachate was sampled for 2 years, as was the soil after the experiment. In the leachate of the diPAP-spiked soils, perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) of different chain lengths were detected [23.2% (6:2 diPAP variant) and 20.8% (8:2 diPAP variant) of the initially applied molar amount]. After 2 years, the soils still contained 36-37% 6:2 diPAP and 41-45% 8:2 diPAP, respectively, in addition to smaller amounts of PFCAs (1.5 and 10.6%, respectively). Amounts of PFCAs found in the grass were low (<0.1% in both variants). The recovery rate of both 6:2 diPAP and 8:2 diPAP did not reach 100% (63.9 and 83.2%, respectively). The transformation of immobile diPAPs into persistent mobile PFCAs and their transport into the groundwater shows a pathway for human exposure to hazardous PFCAs through drinking water and irrigation of crops.
