Destruction of a Carbon Tetrachloride Dense Nonaqueous Phase Liquid by Modified Fenton’s Reagent
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 131, Issue 7
Abstract
Destruction of a dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) by soluble iron (III)-catalyzed and pyrolusite -catalyzed Fenton’s reactions (hydrogen peroxide and transition metal catalysts) was investigated using carbon tetrachloride (CT) as a model contaminant. In the system amended with 5 mM soluble iron (III), 24% of the CT DNAPL was destroyed after 3 h while CT dissolution in parallel fill-and-draw systems was minimal, indicating that CT was degraded more rapidly than it dissolved into the aqueous phase. Fenton’s reactions catalyzed by the naturally occurring manganese oxide pyrolusite were even more effective in destroying CT DNAPLs, with 53% degradation after 3 h. Although Fenton’s reactions are characterized by hydroxyl radical generation, carbon tetrachloride is unreactive with hydroxyl radicals; therefore, a transient oxygen species other than hydroxyl radicals formed through Fenton’s propagation reactions was likely responsible for CT destruction. These results demonstrate that Fenton-like reactions in which nonhydroxyl radical species are generated may provide an effective method for the in situ treatment of DNAPLs.
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Acknowledgments
Funding for this research was provided by the National Science Foundation through Grant No. BES-0001354 and the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program through Grant No. CU-1288.
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Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 131 • Issue 7 • July 2005
Pages: 1114 - 1119
Copyright
© 2005 ASCE.
History
Received: Feb 20, 2003
Accepted: Sep 29, 2003
Published online: Jul 1, 2005
Published in print: Jul 2005
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