Effect of H(2)SO(4) and HCl in the anode purging solution for the electrokinetic-Fenton remediation of soil contaminated with phenanthrene.

The Electrokinetic-Fenton (EK-Fenton) process is a powerful technology to remediate organic-contaminated soil. The behavior of salts and acids introduced for the pH control has significant influence on the H(2)O(2) stabilization and destruction of organic contaminants. In this study, the effects of the type and concentration of acids, which were introduced at the anode, were investigated for the treatment of clayey soil contaminated with phenanthrene. In experiments with H(2)SO(4) as the anode solution, H(2)O(2) concentration in the anode reservoir decreased due to reaction between reduced species of sulfate and H(2)O(2), as time elapsed. By contrast, HCl as an electrolyte in the anode reservoir did not decrease the H(2)O(2) concentration in the anode reservoir. The reaction between the reduced species of sulfate and H(2)O(2) hindered the stabilization of H(2)O(2) in the soil and anode reservoir. In experiments with HCl for pH control, Cl(.), and Cl(2)(. -), which could be generated with mineral catalyzed Fenton-like reaction, did not significantly hinder H(2)O(2) stabilization. H(2)O(2) transportation with electro-osmotic flow and mineral catalyzed Fenton-like reaction on the soil surface resulted in the simultaneous transport and degradation of phenanthrene, which are dependent of the advancement rate of the acid front and electro-osmotic flow toward the cathode according to HCl and H(2)SO(4) concentrations in the anode purging solution.

Electrokinetic settling and sedimentation behavior of cohesive soils in dilute suspension.

In this study, the electrokinetic (EK) effects on settling behavior of clayey soils under different electrolyte solution, electric field strength, and moisture content were evaluated using kaolin and natural marine clay. A number of laboratory-scale column experiment were carried out in order to examine the effects of electrophoresis and electro-osmosis during settling processes. The settling velocity under different electrolyte solution was found to become faster resulting from the formation of floc due to the contraction of electrical double layer. The electrically induced surface settlement was faster in settling rate and greater in magnitude by comparison with that under the conventional gravitational sedimentation. The effects of electrophoresis on settling behavior become significant from the beginning of hindered settling stage due to the influence of electrochemical interactions between the charged clay particles.

Desorption characteristics of kaolin clay contaminated with zinc from electrokinetic soil processing.

A number of bench scale laboratory column tests were carried out using a newly designed and developed electrokinetic cell to investigate the fundamental behavior of zinc-spiked kaolin clay subjected to an electric field. Laboratory investigations focused on (i) zinc migration by the combined effects of electromigration and electro-osmosis and (ii) the electrically induced desorption characteristics of zinc-contaminated kaolin that occurred during processing. The correlations of the applied voltage gradient, electro-osmotic flow rate, and the development of a pH gradient were examined and evaluated. The results showed that the removal efficiency was high during the early stage of processing due to rapid desorption by electrokinetic effects in the cathode region. However, the majority of zinc migrating from the anode was precipitated due to the high pH environment in the cathode region.

Effect of soil chemical properties on the remediation of phenanthrene-contaminated soil by electrokinetic-Fenton process.

The electrokinetic-Fenton (EK-Fenton) remediation of soil contaminated with phenanthrene was studied. Two different soils were chosen to investigate the effects of chemical properties, such as Fe oxide contents and acid soil buffer capacity. The H(2)O(2) concentrations in pore water, the electrical potential distributions and the electrical currents were monitored to assess the electrochemical effect in relation to the soil properties. Hadong caly had high acid buffer capacity, and thus the amount of electroosmotic flow was lager in the experiment with Hadong clay than with EPK kaolin. The major mechanism of phenanthrene removal was a degradation in the experiment with EPK Kaolin, while it was a simple transport away from the system in experiment with Hadong clay. It was mainly because of the lower acid buffering capacity and better H(2)O(2) stability in case with EPK Kaolin than with Hadong clay.

Application of the electrokinetic-Fenton process for the remediation of kaolinite contaminated with phenanthrene.

This study explored the feasibility of applying the electrokinetic-Fenton process (EK-Fenton process) for the remediation of contaminant sorbed onto soil possessing low-permeability. The relationship of H2O2 stability and phenanthrene treatment, and the variation in the monitoring values were also investigated during the EK-Fenton process when catalyzed by heterogeneous minerals. Phenanthrene was chosen to represent hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs), which are widespread in the environment, and kaolinite was used as the low-permeability soil. In these experiments, the H2O2 concentrations in pore water, the electrical potential distributions and the electrical currents were measured or monitored to assess the electrochemical effect in relation to injections of H2O2 from the anode. The results suggested that intermediate anions (HO2-, O2-) with Fenton-like reaction affected significantly the variations in the electrical current during the EK-Fenton process. The addition of 0.01 N H2SO4 to the anode reservoir improved the H2O2 stability and the treatment of phenanthrene in the entire soil specimen. Therefore, use of H2O2 and dilute acid, as an anode purging solution is a possible method for treating HOCs in low-permeability subsurface environments.