Decomposition of aqueous chlorinated contaminants by UV irradiation with H2O2

In the present study, the decomposition rates of carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) and 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) in water by the ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation alone and H₂O₂/UV were experimentally investigated. The detailed experimental studies have been conducted for examining treatment capacities of the two different ultraviolet light sources (low and medium pressure Hg arc) in H₂O₂/UV processes. The low or medium UV lamp alone resulted in a 60%–90% decomposition of 2,4-DCP while a slight addition of H₂O₂ resulted in a drastic enhancement of the 2,4-DCP decomposition rate. The decomposition rate of 2,4-DCP with the medium pressure UV lamp alone was about 3–6 times greater than the low pressure UV lamp alone. In the direct photolysis of aqueous CCl₄, the medium pressure UV lamp had advantage over the low pressure UV lamp because the molar extinction coefficient of CCl₄ at shorter wavelength (210–220 nm) is about 20 to 50 times higher than that at 254 nm. However, adding H₂O₂ to the medium pressure UV lamp system rendered a negative oxidation rate because H₂O₂ acted as a UV absorber being competitive with CCl₄ due to negligible reaction between CCl₄ and OH radicals. The results from the present study indicated significant influence of the photochemical properties of the target contaminants on the photochemical treatment characteristics for designing cost-effective UV-based degradation of toxic contaminants.     

Remediation of 2,4-dichlorophenol-contaminated groundwater using nano-sized CaO2 in a two-dimensional scale tank

• Nano CaO₂ is evaluated as a remediation agent for 2,4-DCP contaminated groundwater. • 2,4-DCP degradation mechanism by different Fe²⁺ concentration was proposed. • 2,4-DCP was not degraded in the system for solution pH>10. • The 2,4-DCP degradation area is inconsistent with the nano CaO₂ distribution area. This study evaluates the applicability of nano-sized calcium peroxide (CaO₂) as a source of H₂O₂ to remediate 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) contaminated groundwater via the advanced oxidation process (AOP). First, the effect and mechanism of 2,4-DCP degradation by CaO₂ at different Fe concentrations were studied (Fenton reaction). We found that at high Fe concentrations, 2,4-DCP almost completely degrades via primarily the oxidation of •OH within 5 h. At low Fe concentrations, the degradation rate of 2,4-DCP decreased rapidly. The main mechanism was the combined action of •OH and O₂^•−. Without Fe, the 2,4-DCP degradation reached 13.6% in 213 h, primarily via the heterogeneous reaction on the surface of CaO₂. Besides, 2,4-DCP degradation was significantly affected by solution pH. When the solution pH was>10, the degradation was almost completely inhibited. Thus, we adopted a two-dimensional water tank experiment to study the remediation efficiency CaO₂ on the water sample. We noticed that the degradation took place mainly in regions of pH<10 (i.e., CaO₂ distribution area), both upstream and downstream of the tank. After 28 days of treatment, the average 2,4-DCP degradation level was ≈36.5%. Given the inadequacy of the results, we recommend that groundwater remediation using nano CaO₂: (1) a buffer solution should be added to retard the rapid increase in pH, and (2) the nano CaO₂ should be injected copiously in batches to reduce CaO₂ deposition.