Chemical oxidation of chlorinated organics by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of sand.

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) as a chemical oxidant for in-situ treatment of contaminated surface soils. The process has been tested in the presence and absence of ferrous sulfate on sand-packed columns, which contained pentachlorophenol (PCP) and trichloroethylene (TCE) as model compounds. Both column and batch studies have demonstrated that H 2 O 2 decomposed readily by interacting with the natural iron content of sand, and additional ferrous salts further enhanced the extent of H 2 O 2 decomposition. As a result, PCP and TCE adsorbed on the sand surface were oxidized effectively and by stoichiometric release of organic bound chlorine as chloride ion