Data for the Evaluation of a Sustainable Technology to Immobilize PFAS Compounds in Soils

An innovative and sustainable immobilization remediation strategy concept for managing per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS)-impacted soils was investigated at bench-scale. This approach involved the use of protein-based materials that are often considered waste products to serve as chemical (stabilization) sorbents, followed by cement binder (solidification), to explore their potential as a solidification/stabilization (immobilization) remediation process. The results of this immobilization study indicated that GAC, as a chemical stabilization agent, effectively reduced the leachability of PFAS compounds from an impacted soil. Minimal additional reduction in leachability was observed upon cement addition (solidification). While the blood meal sorbent was less effective than GAC as a stabilization agent, it did decrease leachability for the majority of the detected PFAS compounds in the soil. However, some of the PFAS compounds exhibited increased leachability post-treatment. Addition of cement as a solidification agent generally decreased the leachability for most of the detected PFAS compounds. Overall, this study suggests that protein-based sorbents, specifically blood meal, with solidification by cement addition may be a novel and sustainable remediation approach for certain PFAS-impacted soils, warranting further investigation into optimization strategies and potential field-scale applications. This dataset is associated with the following publication: McKernan, J.L., E. Barth, K. Dasu, D. Cutt, S. Hartzell, J. Lilly, K.R. Sims, D. Siriwardena, and E.M. Kaltenberg. Investigation of a novel protein-based immobilization process for PFAS contaminated soils. Total Environment Engineering. Elsevier B.V., Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS, 4: 100031, (2025).

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[
  "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teengi.2025.100031"
]