Is Swedish waste incineration a source of PFAS to the environment?

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals used in a wide range of consumer products. In Sweden, many of these products are subject to municipal waste incineration (MWI) after entering the waste stream. Knowledge is lacking on the destruction efficiency of PFAS at conditions relevant for European MWI and whether their thermal destruction proceeds to complete mineralization under these conditions. This project aims to provide an overview of the occurrence, identity and concentration of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances of concern and products of their incomplete combustion in residuals from Swedish municipal waste incineration plants. This will further understanding of the fate of organofluorine during incineration, which is needed to inform decisions on operating conditions and waste types accepted by incinerators as well as chemicals authorised for use within the European Union. We analyse the samples for total organofluorine via combustion ion chromatography. We apply ion mobility high resolution mass spectrometry for targeted analysis of known PFAS and non-targeted screening to characterize unidentified organofluorine.