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Does crack morphology govern PFAS sorption in landfilled plastics?
Md Tanbir Khan1, Himani Yadav1, Hua Deng2
1Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102, United States.
Journal of Hazardous Materials
|January 25, 2026
Summary
Plastic crack morphology does not significantly impact per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) sorption in landfills. Soft plastics, like LDPE, accumulate more PFAS than hard plastics due to partition-type sorption, not surface cracks.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Polymer Science
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Landfilled plastics undergo aging and surface cracking.
- The role of crack morphology in per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) sorption remains unclear.
- Understanding PFAS fate in landfills is crucial for environmental risk assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between plastic crack morphology and PFAS sorption under landfill conditions.
- To compare PFAS sorption in hard versus soft plastics.
- To elucidate the mechanisms of PFAS retention in landfilled plastics.
Main Methods:
- Characterization of 55 hard (HDPE, PP, PET, PS, PVC) and 19 soft (LDPE) plastic samples from landfills.
- Classification of surface crack patterns (line, curve, network) and density measurement.
- Quantification of PFAS using EPA Method 1633 and analysis of adsorbed organic carbon.
Main Results:
- Hard plastics showed increasing crack density with depth, while soft plastics had no visible cracks.
- Soft plastics (LDPE) exhibited significantly higher PFAS loads (45.9-309.9 µg/kg) compared to hard plastics (1.7-16.8 µg/kg).
- Crack density was not correlated with PFAS sorption in hard plastics; organic masking limited polymer-PFAS interaction.
Conclusions:
- Partition-type sorption, driven by polymer free volume, is the primary mechanism for PFAS retention in plastics.
- Soft plastics are significant accumulation hotspots for PFAS in landfills.
- Surface cracking plays a minimal role in PFAS sorption under realistic landfill conditions, overshadowed by other factors like organic masking.
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