Mechanochemical destruction of mirex co-ground with iron and quartz in a planetary ball mill

Mechanochemical destruction (MCD) has been recognized as a promising non-combustion technology for the disposal of obsolete pesticides belonging to the persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Mirex, a termiticide ever used for many years in China, was ball milled in the presence of various reagent(s) in a planetary ball mill at room temperature to investigate the destruction efficiency. The ground samples were characterized and analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, gas chromatography (GC), and ion chromatography (Martins, Bicego et al.). Under the same conditions of mill rotary rate and charge ratio, the mixture of iron powder and quartz sand (Fe/SiO₂) was found best in promoting the mirex destruction. Mirex was completed destroyed after 2 h grinding at a charge ratio of 36:1 (reagent/mirex, m/m) and a mill rotation speed of 550 rpm. No organic compound was detected by GC/μECD screening. The yield of water-soluble chlorine determined by ion chromatography (Martins, Bicego et al.) in the final residue accounted for 90.7% of chlorine in the original mirex, which indicated a nearly complete dechlorination. Signals of both graphite and amorphous carbon were found in the Raman spectra of the co-ground powder samples. With the main final degradation products of water soluble Cl and carbon, the mechanism of the mechanochemical destruction approach should be dechlorination followed by the carbonization.