CHEMICAL OXIDATION OF CHLORINATED ORGANICS BY HYDROGEN-PEROXIDE IN THE PRESENCE OF SAND

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a chemical oxidant for in-situ treatment of contaminated surface soils. The process has been tested in the presence and absence of ferrous sulfate on sand-packed columns, which contained pentachlorophenol (PCP) and trichloroethylene (TCE) as model compounds. Both column and batch studies have demonstrated that H2O2 decomposed readily by interacting with the natural iron content of sand, and additional ferrous salts further enhanced the extent of H2O2 decomposition. As a result, PCP and TCE adsorbed on the sand surface were oxidized effectively and by stoichiometric release of organic bound chlorine as chloride ion.