Presentation Description
A "Green Oxidant" for In-Situ Chemical Oxidation for the Treatment of Contaminated Soils
What makes an oxidant "green"? The USEPA has adopted the 12 "Principles of Green Chemistry" proposed by P. Anastas and J. Warner which include: 1) use of catalysts, 2) minimize potential accidents, 3) safe components and reaction conditions, 4) minimize residues, and 5) maximize chemical efficient. A variety of oxidants have been used to degrade organic contaminants in industrial wastes, soil and groundwater, including percarbonate, perborate, peracetic acid, nitric acid, persulfate, permanganate, and ozone. Sodium percarbonate (SPC) is often cited as a powerful, but safe, environmental benign ("green") oxidant for these applications. In fact, SPC has been used in numerous industrial (e.g. organic synthesis) and household products (e.g. detergent bleaches) since the 1960's replacing oxidants like perborate because SPC has less environmental concerns. However, proper activation of SPC is important to its efficiency especially in in-situ applications for the purpose of transforming groundwater or soil contaminants into less harmful chemical species. Catalyzed SPC systems, like RegenOxT, have been shown to be very effective in oxidizing a wide range of contaminants. Activated SPC can oxidize a diverse group of contaminants more efficiently in a shorter time. Activated SPC is a powerful oxidant that can be used for remediation of a wide range of soil and groundwater contaminants. Specific chemical reaction mechanisms for SPC and a comparison the thermodynamic and kinetic advantages over other oxidation systems will be presented. Finally, the environmental impact will be compared to other oxidants.