The effect of Fe(0) on electrokinetic remediation of clay contaminated with perchloroethylene

• Published in: Water science and technology 2006-01, Vol.53 (6), p.91-98
• Main Author: Yuan, C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aluminum Silicates; Cathodes; Clay; Cost analysis; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Efficiency; Electrochemistry - methods; Electrokinetics; Environmental Pollution; Groundwater; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Investigations; Iron; Iron - chemistry; Iron - metabolism; Kinetics; Metals, Heavy; Models, Chemical; Perchloroethylene; Permeability; Pollutants; Remediation; Removal; Soil; Soil chemistry; Soil contamination; Soil investigations; Soil permeability; Soil pH; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Tetrachloroethylene; Tetrachloroethylene - chemistry
• ISSN: 0273-1223; 1996-9732
• DOI: 10.2166/wst.2006.176

The present paper was to investigate the effect of Fe(0) reaction barrier position and Fe(0) quantity on the remediation efficiency and electrokinetic performances of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) contaminated clay under potential gradient of 2 V/cm for 5 days. The Fe(0) reaction barrier was composed of 2 to approximately 16 g of Fe(0) mixed with Ottawa sand in a ratio of 1: 2. Its positions were respectively located at the anode, the middle, and the cathode end of the electrokinetic cell. Results showed that a relatively higher remediation of 66% of PCE was found as the Fe(0) reaction barrier located at the cathode side, which corresponded to a factor 2.4 times greater than that in the EK system alone (27.0%). As the Fe(0) quantity increased to 16 g, a highest remediation efficiency of 90.7% was found. It was concluded that the PCE removal in the EK/Fe(0) system was dominated by Fe(0) quantity rather than the Fe(0) reaction barrier position. As more Fe(0) existed in the EK system, a higher electroosmosis flow, higher permeability, and lower soil pH after treatment were found. The cost analyses were also investigated in this research.