Effect of oxides to enhance the reactivity of persulfate solution for degradation of diesel-contaminated sand

Abstract

Diesel contamination in subsurface has been known for long-term risks to both environment and public health because of their persistence and toxic characteristics. The efforts to clean up contaminations in subsurface have been proceeded with the applications of various technologies. Remediation technology using persulfate (S2O8-2) in the aspects of in situ chemical oxidations (ISCOs) has been intensively studied to increase the reactivity of persulfate. In this study, the effects of the various types of oxide activators (i.e., goethite (α-FeOOH), hematite (Fe2O3), magnetite (Fe3O4) magnesium oxide (MgO), and manganese oxide (MnO2)) to increase the reactivity of persulfate (S2O8-2) were investigated for the degradation of diesel adsorbed on sand. The results indicated that manganese oxide is the most effective activator with persulfate solution (S2O8-2) to degrade diesel. Among iron oxides, magnetite was the most reactive activator and higher removal of diesel was observed with increasing amounts of magnetite.