Abstract Description: Measurement of PFAS air emissions is a recent and developing issue. At this point in time, it is uncertain which industries emit PFAS compounds and the methodology for measuring emissions is in development by EPA. Due to the complexity of PFAS chemistry, with thousands of potential analytes, no single test method can be used for detection. To date, EPA has published two draft test methods, OTM-45 for ionic semi-volatile PFAS (2021) and OTM-50 for volatile fluorocarbon compounds (2024). A third method, OTM-55 for non-ionic semivolatile PFAS, is in preparation. Opportunities to conduct and evaluate these test methods have been limited in the absence of regulatory requirements. While these methods can measure many PFAS compounds, thousands more possible PFAS species are not detected, and one can only quantify what one can detect. There are additional measurement needs that are being addressed. PFAS air testing is expensive and complex, and a lower cost screening method is entering use for engineering or process development applications. Measuring PFAS emissions from destructive treatments like incineration is particularly challenging because of the need to detect products of incomplete destruction (PIDs) in addition to the PFAS compounds fed into the incinerator. FTIR testing to detect the most stable PIDs (CF4 and C2F6) has been evaluated for real-time monitoring of incineration process efficiency. The presentation will review the latest developments in PFAS air emissions measurements.
