Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are commonly used in many consumer and industrial products. However, their resulting widespread release into aqueous environments and their potential toxicities to organisms have raised significant environmental concern. Among the various approaches to the removal of PFAS contaminants, adsorption has proven to be highly effective, especially when carbonaceous nanomaterials (CNMs) are used as the adsorbent. Nonetheless, the interfacial adsorption of PFASs on CNMs is affected by many factors. In this work, the adsorption behaviors of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), two highly representative PFASs, on different CNMs are reviewed. We also examine the mechanisms of PFOA and PFOS adsorption on CNMs, including electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, ligand exchange and hydrogen bonding. Due to the significant influence of hydrophobic interactions on adsorption, CNMs rich in oxygen-containing functional groups will result in weaker PFAS adsorption than achieved using pristine materials. The important contribution of nanobubbles to hydrophobic interactions is considered herein. Overall, this work contributes to a better understanding of the adsorption affinity of PFASs on CNMs in water environments. Moreover, it provides the systematic theoretical support that is needed for the more effective use of CNMs in the removal of PFASs from aqueous systems.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) persists in the environment for a long time due to its stable physical and chemical properties, and it is harmful to the environment and biological system. In order to effectively remove PFOA from aqueous solution, Cu nanoparticles and fluorine-modified graphene aerogel (Cu/F-rGA) were fabricated by the microbubble template method. Compared with unmodified aerogels (rGA), the adsorption rate of PFOA on Cu/F-rGA was enhanced 2.68-fold. These significant improvements were assumed to benefit from the ligand exchange reaction and hydrophobic and F–F interactions. The regeneration of Cu/F-rGA maintained 73.26% with ethanol as the desorption solvent after 10 times adsorption–desorption. The fitting results of the statistical physics model showed that PFOA tended to be parallel to the adsorption site at low temperature and perpendicular at high temperature. The number of PFOA molecules connected to each adsorption site was 0.53 to 1.41, and the number of adsorption layers of PFOA on the Cu/F-rGA was between 1.63 and 2.51. Compared with the response surface methodology and artificial neural network, an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system had more accurate analysis and prediction results. These results provide an effective and alternative strategy to remove PFOA from aqueous solution with environment-friendly consumption.