Oral Presentation Royal Australian Chemical Institute National Congress 2026

Magnetic polymeric sorbents for efficient removal of perfluorinated compounds from landfill leachate (138140)

Xiao Tan 1
  1. Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), St Lucia, QLD, Australia

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants that pose serious risks to ecosystems and human health. This study presents a new class of non-PFAS-based magnetic polymer sorbents for efficient PFAS removal from complex landfill leachate. Crosslinked polymer networks containing optimised fluorinated and quaternary ammonium segments were first synthesised and subsequently conjugated to Fe3O4 nanoparticles to enable magnetic separation. This design provides strong PFAS affinity through synergistic fluorophilic and electrostatic interactions, while allowing simple and rapid recovery after treatment. The sorbents achieved >90% removal efficiency for a broad range of PFAS, including both long- and short-chain species, and maintained excellent reusability over multiple regeneration cycles. Compared with commercial materials, they exhibited superior performance under realistic environmental conditions. These findings demonstrate a rational polymer design strategy for developing effective magnetic sorbents for PFAS remediation in complex aqueous systems.