OZONE-ELECTRON BEAM TREATMENT FOR GROUNDWATER REMEDIATION

Dose rate effect and low penetration are major disadvantages of electron beam irradiation Addition of ozone before or during irradiation may eliminate the dose rate effect as shown for the remediation of a groundwater contaminated with trace amounts of chlorinated solvents such as trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE). Beside the elimination of the dose rate effect the necessary radiation dose for pollutant decomposition is considerably lowered by the presence of ozone during irradiation. As a consequence the economy of the combined ozone/irradiation process becomes better than that of irradiation alone. Irradiation of turbulent water flows enables clean-up of water layers thicker than the maximum penetration of the electrons used. This effect is improved by the presence of ozone during irradiation, too.