Remediation of phenanthrene contaminated soil by ferrous oxalate and its phytotoxicity evaluation

Abstract

Phenanthrene contaminated soil was remediated by the photochemical process of ferrous oxalate. Without using H2O2 and adjusting soil pH, phenanthrene in contaminated soil was degraded effectively by the ferrous oxalate under visible light irradiation. Ferrous oxalate possesses excellent visible light absorption ability which benefits the degradation of phenanthrene in soil under visible light irradiation. Via the Fe(II)/Fe(III) catalytic cycle of ferrous oxalate, H2O2 and Fe(II) could be produced continuously and H2O2 was further catalyzed by Fe(II) and released hydroxyl radicals (•OH) to degrade the phenanthrene in soil. The dosage of ferrous oxalate, moisture content of soil, and soil thickness were most important factors for degradation of phenanthrene in soil. In addition, a good mixing of ferrous oxalate and soil was vital for enhancing the degradation ratio of phenanthrene. After phenanthrene contaminated soil was treated by ferrous oxalate, the toxicity of treated soil was evaluated via the lettuce cultivation experiments. It was demonstrated the toxicity of phenanthrene contaminated soil was significantly reduced by ferrous oxalate according to the growth indexes of lettuces, including root length, leaf length, and fresh weight. This environment-friendly soil remediation method based on ferrous oxalate has huge potential in the remediation of organic pollutant contaminated soil.