Impact of activation methods on persulfate oxidation of methyl tert-butyl ether.
To provide guidance on the selection of proper persulfate processes for the remediation of MTBE contaminated groundwater, MTBE aqueous solutions were treated with three common field persulfate processes including heat activated persulfate, Fe(III)-EDTA activated persulfate and alkaline persulfate, respectively. The results were compared with MTBE oxidation by Fenton's reagent and persulfate alone at 25°C. The impact of the activating conditions on the fate of MTBE and its daughter products was investigated. Heat activation at 40°C offered the most rapid removal of MTBE and its daughter products, while Fe(III)-EDTA activation showed higher efficiency of MTBE removal but low removal efficiency of its daughter products. On the other hand, alkaline persulfate showed slower kinetics for the removal of MTBE and less accumulation of the daughter products. Furthermore, tert-butyl alcohol and acetone were observed as the main purgeable daughter products along with a small amount of tert-butyl formate in persulfate oxidation of MTBE, while tert-butyl formate, tert-butyl alcohol and acetone were the main products in Fenton oxidation. Mechanistic analysis suggests that degradation of MTBE by persulfate most likely happens via non-oxygen demand pathways, different from the dominant oxygen demand degradation pathways observed in Fenton oxidation.
School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China. Electronic address: ddeng@alumni.princeton.edu.
Dayi
D
Deng
School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China.
Libin
L
Peng
School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China.
Mengyun
M
Guan
School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China.
Yuan
Y
Kang
D004492:Edetic Acid; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007501:Iron; D007700:Kinetics; D008738:Methyl Ethers / Q000737:chemistry*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D013431:Sulfates / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry*
C045076:Fenton's reagent; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D008738:Methyl Ethers; D013431:Sulfates; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C043243:methyl tert-butyl ether; D004492:Edetic Acid; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D007501:Iron; C019179:Fe(III)-EDTA
ETBE; Fe(III)-EDTA; Groundwater remediation; ISCO; In situ chemical oxidation; MA; MTBE; Methyl tert-butyl ether; Non-oxygen demand degradation; Persulfate; TBA; TBF; ethyl tert-butyl ether; ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid iron(III) sodium salt; methyl acetate; methyl tert-butyl ether; tert-butyl alcohol; tert-butyl formate