Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent organic contaminants of agricultural soils whose remediation is constrained by strong persistence and complex soil–water partitioning. Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) has recently been proposed as part of an integrated strategy combining soil alkalinisation, phytoremediation and subsequent treatment of contaminated biomass. This Perspective examines ERW as a multivariate geochemical perturbation of PFAS fate rather than simply an alkalinisation treatment. Rising pH may favour desorption of anionic PFAS, whereas simultaneous release of Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺, changes in ionic strength and evolution of weathering-derived mineral surfaces can promote retention. ERW may therefore increase PFAS availability for plant uptake or groundwater transport, or promote re-sorption, depending on PFAS chemistry, soil geochemistry, rock mineralogy and weathering stage depending on PFAS chemistry, soil geochemistry, rock mineralogy and weathering stage. Increased dissolved-phase availability constitutes a remediation benefit only when the resulting PFAS are captured in harvestable biomass and removed faster than ERW increases uncontrolled off-site export. Safe deployment consequently requires PFAS mass balances across soil, pore water, vegetation and drainage, rigorous characterisation of rock amendments and evaluation of multiple PFAS across the weathering trajectory. ERW could connect carbon dioxide removal with contaminated-land management, but only if increased PFAS availability is converted into controlled removal rather than contaminant redistribution.
Author: Behrouz Gholamahmadi
Institutions: Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar, University of Aveiro
Language: English
Subfield: Environmental Chemistry
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7221082277