Remove legacy perfluoroalkyl acids and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl ether acids by single-use and regenerable anion exchange resins: Rapid small-scale column tests and model fits

•Breakthrough of PFECA is later than PFCA with the same number of fluorinated carbon.•The Bohart-Adams model predicts PFAS breakthrough well in both resins.•The pristine PFAS-specific resin meets drinking water PFAS regulations over 25,359 BV.•The regenerable generic resin is not suitable for drinking water PFAS compliance.•Resin regeneration using salts is ineffective for PFAS release from either resin. Rapid small-scale column tests (RSSCT) are used to study the removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) for drinking water treatment by ion exchange. Breakthroughs of 15 emerging per- and perfluoroalkyl ether acids and six legacy perfluoroalkyl acid analogs are studied using a single-use PFAS-selective anion exchange resin (AER1) and a regenerable, generic anion exchange resin (AER2). The Bohart-Adams model was used to describe and predict breakthrough, with the modeled results reasonably aligned with RSSCT results in most cases, enabling shorter RSSCT duration for future applications. AER1 exhibited high uptake capacity with no breakthrough for 11 of the 21 tested PFAS during the 144,175 BV continuous operation, allowing compliance with the new National Primary Drinking Water Regulation in many application scenarios. AER2 exhibited much faster breakthroughs for most PFAS and is not a promising option for drinking water treatment. However, the summed PFAS capacity via model fit and total PFAS adsorbed via measurement were only