Remediation Of Organic Contaminated Soils Research Articles

The first quantitative investigation of compounds generated from PFAS, PFAS-containing aqueous film-forming foams and commercial fluorosurfactants in pyrolytic processes

Pyrolysis as a thermochemical technology is commonly used in waste management and remediation of organic-contaminated soil. This study, for the first time, investigated fluorinated and non-fluorinated compounds emitted from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and relevant products upon pyrolysis (200–890 °C) and their formation mechanisms. Approximately 30 non-fluorinated compounds were detected from PFAS-containing aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) and commercial surfactant concentrates (SCs) after heating, including glycols and glycol ethers that were predominant at 200 °C. Oxygen (e.g., 1,4-dioxane) and nitrogen heterocycles and benzene were unexpectedly observed at higher temperatures (300–890 °C), which were likely formed as a consequence of the thermal dehydration, dehydrogenation, and intermolecular cyclization of glycols and glycol ethers. Fluorinated volatiles in six major classes were detected at low and moderate temperatures (200–500 °C), including perfluoroalkenes, perfluoroalkyl aldehydes, fluorotelomer alcohols, and polyfluorinated alkanes/alkenes. Several features of the pyrolyses of PFAS suggest that the underlying decomposition mechanism is radical-mediated. Perfluoroheptene thermally decomposed at 200 °C to shorter-chain homologues following a radical chain-scission mechanism. Most of these volatiles observed at low/moderate temperatures were not detected at 890 °C. Ultra-short-chain fluorinated greenhouse gases (e.g., perfluoromethane) were not found.

Remediation of phenol contaminated soil using persulfate activated by ball-milled colloidal activated carbon

The degradation of phenolic compounds through persulfate (PS) activation is a valuable approach for soil/groundwater remediation. Several reports have been made related to PS activation and contaminant degradation using carbo-catalysts; however, there is no detailed study on soil remediation by colloidal activated carbon. This study demonstrates the phenol (PhOH) degradation efficiency in spiked and field-contaminated soils by a novel and low-cost ball-milled colloidal activated carbon (CACBM) catalyst. The CACBM/PS system exhibited outstanding degradation performance for PhOH in both spiked and field-contaminated soils. Optimum condition for degradation of 5.63 mmol PhOH kg soil−1 was achieved at 2.5 mg CACBM g soil−1, 5 mM PS, and a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5 at 25 °C in the wide pH range of 3–11. Radical scavenger experiments and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy revealed that both radical (•OH and SO4•–) and non-radical (1O2) species were involved in the CACBM/PS system. PhOH degradation in soil phase followed several degradation pathways, resulting in various intermediate byproducts such as acetic acid, maleic acid, p-benzoquinone, fumaric acid, and ferulic acid as analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectroscopy (UPLC−MS). The CACBM/PS system showed a promising potential in the remediation of organic-contaminated soil.

Influence of Mucor mucedo immobilized to corncob in remediation of pyrene contaminated agricultural soil

In recent years, immobilization agents were introduced into organic contaminated soil remediation and more and more materials were screened and used as the immobilizing carrier. However, effect of the decomposition of the immobilizing carrier on the bioremediation was rarely concerned. Therefore, the decomposition experiment of immobilizing carrier -corncob was carried out in the lab with the efficient degradation fungi - Mucor mucedo (MU) existing, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) residues E4/E6 of the dissolved organic matter and microbial diversity during the decomposition process were studied. The results showed that: a) during the decomposition, the degradation of pyrene (Pyr) was mainly in the first 28 d in which the content of extractable Pyr decreased rapidly and the highest decrease was in the treatment with only MU added. b) Anslysis of E4/E6 changes showed that rich microorganisms could promote aromatization and condensation of humus. c) From the diversity index analysis it can also be seen that there is no significant difference in effects of PAHs on the uniformity of microorganisms. These results will not only be useful to have a better understanding of the bioavailability of contaminants adsorbed to biodegradable carriers in PAHs contaminated soil remediation, but also be helpful to perfect the principle of immobilized microbial technique.