Interface hydrogen bonding dominated perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) accumulation by iron particles in drinking water pipes
By Yuan Zhuang, Xinyi Qin, and Baoyou Shi
Chemosphere
November 8, 2022
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.137211
Iron particle is one of the key factors inducing discoloration in drinking water distribution systems (DWDS), but the mechanism of iron particles on the accumulation of trace organic pollutants in DWDS is not clear. Here, iron-based pipes from real DWDS were used to investigate the perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) accumulation mechanisms in DWDS. Results showed that old unlined pipes had a much higher accumulation capacity for PFOA than new pipes. Among the corrosion products in old pipes, FeO and FeO did not have obvious accumulation for PFOA, while FeOOH exhibited a strong accumulation effect for PFOA. Furthermore, the in-situ formed iron particles contributed more to PFOA accumulation than preformed iron particles. Interestingly, PFOA caused an increase in turbidity and particle size of in-situ formed iron particles. Mulliken charge of F-bonded Fe increased from +1.28 e to +1.30 e, which indicated that the oxidation state of Fe-center was strengthened by PFOA. When dissolved oxygen existed, a PFOA-FeOOH-O linkage could form through COO-Fe coordination and O interface adsorption, which enhanced cytotoxicity due to the generation of •OH radicals. These findings implied that interface hydrogen bonding dominated PFOA accumulation by iron particles in DWDS, which would increase the risks of discoloration.
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