Oriented oxidation of all alkanes in soils

Abstract

In order to investigate the mechanism of the oriented oxidation of all alkanes by regulating organic functional groups, Fenton oxidation was performed in two soils (S1 and S2: total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) are 26,281 mg/kg and 12,668 mg/kg). The higher the proportion of hydroxyl radicals (OH) transferred (41 %–58 %), the more the number of oriented oxidation of alkanes, which realized the oriented oxidation of all alkanes. Meanwhile, high oriented oxidation of long alkanes and short alkanes (58 %: 3405 mg/kg and 1729 mg/kg) was observed. Protein Ⅰ in soil organic matter (SOM) was reduced by regulating CH and carboxyl group OH, which indicated that protein Ⅰ was inactive. Protein Ⅰ oxidation after regulation was decreased significantly. Protein Ⅰ was the main active organic matter to capture OH. When the relative reactivity coefficient KTPH/SOM (the ratio of TPH oxidation to SOM oxidation) and KTPH/protein I (the ratio of TPH oxidation to protein Ⅰ oxidation) were higher than 1, low oxidation of SOM and protein Ⅰ was obtained. It indicated that for the oriented oxidation of all alkanes, the high coefficient of relative reactivity for petroleum was the key for the transfer of OH from oxidizing SOM to oxidizing alkanes.