Optimization of EOF and AOF for Drinking Water AnalysisDrinking Water
Oral Presentation
Prepared by D. Schiessel
Babcock Laboratories, Inc, 6100 Quail Valley Ct, Riverside, CA, 92507, United States
Contact Information: [email protected]; 951-347-0232
ABSTRACT
Extractable organic fluorine (EOF) and adsorbable organic fluorine (AOF) methods were optimized to improve characterization of total organic fluorine in drinking water at environmentally relevant concentrations (<1000 ng/L) using combustion ion chromatography. Method development focused on key parameters including sample volume, flow rate, sample preservation, and inorganic fluoride removal to minimize fluorine losses and analytical bias. Analyte fate studies using individually spiked PFAS—including ultra-short-chain compounds—were conducted to evaluate retention, breakthrough, and recovery at ng/L levels representative of drinking water. These studies enabled refinement of method conditions to improve fluorine mass balance and reduce underestimation of unknown PFAS contributions. The optimized EOF and AOF workflows enhance recovery across a broader PFAS chemical space and support more accurate assessment of unknown organofluorine in drinking water beyond targeted PFAS analysis.
