I am Maryam Saffari Aman. APh.D. student in the Department of Environmental Resources Engineering at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. My research project will involve characterizing the prevalence and persistence of PFAS in commercially available compost. The information is useful to inform policymakers, producers of food waste compost, and potential buyers of compost about the fate and transport of persistent chemical contamination in compost and common feedstocks, as well as the potential health and environmental risks posed by land applying compost. Diversion of food waste to composting facilities commonly includes food packaging and post-consumer paper products that may contain PFAS.

Session Code: 2C

Track: CREF Research

Session Name: Update on microplastic degradation, remote sensing of compostable packaging, and PFAS

Session Time: Wednesday, February 7, 1:45 – 3:15 PM

Presentation Title: Characterizing PFAS in Commercially Available Compost, Biosolids Fertilizers and Paper Food Packaging

Presentation Description: The goal of this project is to establish baseline knowledge about the presence and distribution of PFAS in commercially available compost, biosolids fertilizers, and paper food packaging commonly found in food waste. After procuring products from both national and local retail outlets, we analyzed 12 PFAS compounds following 1633 method in five composts derived from various sources, two biosolids-derived fertilizers, three soil products (i.e., soil amendment, garden, and potting soil), and five common food service paper products. The maximum total concentration of PFAS in the compost was 41.55