SIMULTANEOUS COMPLEXATION OF ORGANIC-COMPOUNDS AND HEAVY-METALS BY A MODIFIED CYCLODEXTRIN

The cleanup of contaminated soil and groundwater at hazardous waste sites has become a major focus of research and policy debate. A major factor complicating the cleanup of many sites is the co-occurrence of organic compounds and heavy metals, the so-called mixed wastes. We investigated the ability of a modified cyclodextrin to simultaneously complex low-polarity organic compounds and heavy metals. The results of the experiments showed that carboxymethyl-beta-cyclodextrin could simultaneously increase the apparent aqueous solubilities of the selected organic compounds (anthracene, trichlorobenzene, biphenyl, and DDT) and complex with Cd2+. This complexation was not significantly affected by changes in pH or by the presence of relatively high concentrations of Ca2+. It is possible that this reagent can be used successfully to remediate hazardous waste sites contaminated by mixed wastes.