Statistical Design of Experiments Enables Rapid Exploration of Perfluorobutane Sulfonate Degradation
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The phase-out of long-chain PFAS has led to the proliferation of highly recalcitrant short-chain analogs, and mineralization technologies for these short-chain PFAS are needed to mitigate their deleterious effects on environmental and human health. In this study, we utilize a statistical design of experiments, specifically, response surface methodology, to rapidly evaluate the electrochemical degradation of the short-chain PFAS, perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS). We evaluate the impacts of the three primary electrochemical parameters (concentration of PFBS, concentration of supporting electrolyte, and applied current) over multiple orders of magnitude on the three primary reaction outcomes of electrochemical PFBS degradation (incomplete PFBS decomposition, complete PFBS mineralization as fluorine, and anodic energy consumption). Our results correspond with literature and clearly identify the well-known tradeoff between energy consumption and complete mineralization. Intriguingly, partial PFBS decomposition and energy consumption demonstrate nonlinear dependencies in the current/supporting electrolyte concentration space and the current/PFBS concentration space, respectively. These findings highlight the utility of the response surface methodology model to efficiently interrogate a large parameter space, identifying both common results and less-obvious interactions between electrochemical parameters and their influences on reaction outcomes.
Source: ECS Advances
Authors: Rachel N. Gaines, Jessica A. LaFond, Jenna A. Krawchuck, Nathan R. Bays, Samantha M. Kruse, Jessica N. Kruichak
Language: English
Subfield: Environmental Chemistry
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,500
Funders: Universities Research Association, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Laboratory Directed Research and Development, Sandia National Laboratories, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program
OpenAlex ID: W4407779043