Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

An infrared spectral database for gas-phase quantitation of volatile per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)

Journal Article · · Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer
We report the construction of a database of vetted infrared spectra specifically targeting volatile fluorocarbon gases that may be emitted during thermal treatment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to assist understanding of treatment processes and improve quantification. To populate this database, protocols derived from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) infrared spectral database are used, curtailing the species selection for this data set. Each spectrum in the database is a weighted average derived from 10 or more individual measurements at different partial pressures (static method) or flow rates (dissemination method) to yield good fidelity of both strong and weak infrared signatures, with each composite spectrum ranging from = 6500 cm-1 to = 600 cm-1 with an apodized resolution of 0.112 cm-1. This resolution was chosen to fully resolve all spectral features, recognizing that atmospheric pressure broadening results in nearly all ro-vibrational lines having linewidths = 0.1 cm-1. As an example case, application of the database is demonstrated via identification and quantification of dominant 1H-perfluoroheptane and perfluorohept-1-ene fluorocarbon products resulting from thermal decomposition of perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) below 450 °C.
Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1906272
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-177601
Journal Information:
Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, Journal Name: Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer Vol. 295
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (40)

Taking the “F” out of forever chemicals journal August 2022
Identifying and Managing Aqueous Film‐Forming Foam‐Derived Per‐ and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in the Environment journal December 2020
Disseminator for rapid, selectable, and quantitative delivery of low and semivolatile liquid species to the vapor phase journal September 2006
Real-time trace gas sensing of fluorocarbons using a swept-wavelength external cavity quantum cascade laser journal January 2014
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Integrated Crop–Livestock Systems: Environmental Exposure and Human Health Risks journal November 2021
Very long optical paths in air journal January 1976
Gas-Phase Databases for Quantitative Infrared Spectroscopy journal December 2004
Development of the Colle-Salvetti correlation-energy formula into a functional of the electron density journal January 1988
A review of the emerging treatment technologies for PFAS contaminated soils journal February 2020
An infrared spectral database for detection of gases emitted by biomass burning journal May 2010
Increasing Accumulation of Perfluorocarboxylate Contaminants Revealed in an Antarctic Firn Core (1958–2017) journal July 2022
Determination of Perfluorocarboxylates in Groundwater Impacted by Fire-Fighting Activity journal July 1999
An overview of the uses of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) journal January 2020
Low-temperature mineralization of perfluorocarboxylic acids journal August 2022
Twice-Modulated Light in Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectrometers from Reflective Samples: Avoiding Distorted Intensity Values journal February 2022
Infrared absorption cross sections of isobutane with hydrogen and nitrogen as broadening gases journal April 2019
Confirmation of PNNL Quantitative Infrared Cross-Sections for Isobutane journal April 2021
The GEISA spectroscopic database: Current and future archive for Earth and planetary atmosphere studies journal April 2008
NWChem: Past, present, and future journal May 2020
The Air That We Breathe: Neutral and Volatile PFAS in Indoor Air journal August 2021
The HITRAN2020 molecular spectroscopic database journal January 2022
Measurements of line strengths in the hydroperoxy .nu.1 overtone band at 1.5 .mu.m using an indium gallium arsenide phosphide laser journal August 1991
Quantitative vapor-phase IR intensities and DFT computations to predict absolute IR spectra based on molecular structure: I. Alkanes journal November 2013
Absolute Band Intensity of the Iodine Monochloride Fundamental Mode for Infrared Sensing and Quantitative Analysis journal November 2020
Global warming potential estimates for the C1–C3 hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) included in the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol journal January 2018
Perfluorinated Surfactants and the Environmental Implications of Their Use in Fire-Fighting Foams journal September 2000
Creation of 0.10-cm -1 resolution quantitative infrared spectral libraries for gas samples conference February 2002
Gas-phase pyrolysis products emitted by prescribed fires in pine forests with a shrub understory in the southeastern United States journal January 2019
Pyrolysis processing of PFAS-impacted biosolids, a pilot study journal February 2022
Density‐functional thermochemistry. III. The role of exact exchange journal April 1993
6-31G * basis set for atoms K through Zn journal July 1998
US Department of Defense–Funded Research on Treatment of Per‐ and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance–Laden Materials journal September 2020
Infrared absorption cross-sections in HITRAN2016 and beyond: Expansion for climate, environment, and atmospheric applications journal June 2019
US Department of Defense–Funded Fate and Transport Research on Per‐ and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances at Aqueous Film–Forming Foam–Impacted Sites journal June 2020
Critical Review of Thermal Decomposition of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Mechanisms and Implications for Thermal Treatment Processes journal April 2022
Removing aperture-induced artifacts from fourier transform infrared intensity values journal January 2002
Calculated IR absorption spectra for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) molecules journal January 2021
Study of Perfluoroalkyl Chain-Specific Band Shift in Infrared Spectra on the Chain Length journal October 2017
A First Global Production, Emission, And Environmental Inventory For Perfluorooctane Sulfonate journal January 2009
Quantitative Infrared Absorption Spectra and Vibrational Assignments of Crotonaldehyde and Methyl Vinyl Ketone Using Gas-Phase Mid-Infrared, Far-Infrared, and Liquid Raman Spectra: s-cis vs s-trans Composition Confirmed via Temperature Studies and ab Initio Methods journal February 2017