Investigating and modelling PFAS leaching from landfills to groundwater and surface water

PFAS are highly problematic chemicals omnipresent in water, air, food, wildlife and humans. High PFAS concentrations are often found at landfills, which can be direct sources of PFAS leaching into the surrounding environment, such as groundwater, and nearby surface water. This PhD project aims to investigate the properties of PFAS and their specific behavior at landfill sites. The main goal is to develop a transport model for PFAS leaching from landfills to groundwater and surface water, which will serve as a tool for investigation and risk assessment of the field sites. The model will be applied to selected landfill sites. Field investigations and data collection are a part of the project, as evaluated landfill data will be integrated into the developed model. Lastly, controlling factors for PFAS fluxes and the risk which PFAS from landfills might pose to water bodies will be assessed. All of this is done to improve the understanding of PFAS transport and fate at landfills. This project is done in collaboration with the Sino-Danish Center (SDC) and the Capital Region of Denmark. Project activities in China involve an external stay at the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry and teaching at the SDC in Beijing.