EMPIRICAL-MODELS FOR ESTIMATING THE DESTRUCTION OF TOXIC ORGANIC-COMPOUNDS UTILIZING ELECTRON-BEAM IRRADIATION AT FULL SCALE

The Electron Beam Research Facility (EBRF) located in Miami, Florida houses a 1.5 MeV, 50 mA electron accelerator. Extensive large scale (450 l/min) research on the use of electron beams for the treatment of water and wastewater has been conducted at this facility over the last several years. Recent efforts have focused on developing predictive equations for evaluating the effectiveness of electron beam irradiation for treatment of industrial wastes and contaminated groundwaters. This paper develops descriptive empirical models for estimating the removal of selected organic compounds (benzene, toluene, phenol, PCE, TCE and chloroform) by electron beam irradiation as a function of initial contaminant concentration, pH and the presence or absence of suspended materials. Models to estimate the electron dose required to meet specific treatment objectives are also presented. These dose estimates can be used to evaluate the cost of treatment for treatment systems which utilize electron beam accelerators of various voltages, power, and cost.