Remediation of soil heavily polluted with polychlorinated biphenyls using a low-temperature plasma technique

doi:10.1007/s11783-013-0562-8

Front Envir Sci Eng

2014, Vol. 8

Issue (2) : 277-283 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-013-0562-8

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Remediation of soil heavily polluted with polychlorinated biphenyls using a low-temperature plasma technique

Xiuhua LI, Haibo ZHANG, Yongming LUO(

), Ying TENG

Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China

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Abstract

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were removed by low-temperature plasma technique (dielectric barrier discharge) from heavily polluted soil and their intermediate products were analyzed. The removal rate ranged from 40.1 to 84.6% by different treatments, and they were also influenced significantly (P<0.01) by soil particle-size, electric power, gas flow rate and reaction time. The optimal reaction conditions of PCB removal from the soil were obtained experimentally when soil particle-size, electrical power, flow rate and reaction time were 5–10 mm, 21 w, 120 mL· min^-1 and 90 min, respectively. However, decreasing electrical power, flow rate and reaction time to 18 w, 60 mL· min^-1 and 60 min respectively were also acceptable in view of the cost of remediation. This technique was characterized by the additional advantage of thorough oxidation of PCBs in the soil, with no formation of intermediate products after reaction. The technique therefore shows some promise for application in the remediation of soils contaminated with persistent organic pollutants in brown field sites in urban areas.

Keywords polychlorinated biphenyls low-temperature plasma soil contamination intermediate products

Corresponding Author(s): LUO Yongming,Email:ymluo@issas.ac.cn

Issue Date: 01 April 2014

Cite this article:

Xiuhua LI,Haibo ZHANG,Yongming LUO, et al. Remediation of soil heavily polluted with polychlorinated biphenyls using a low-temperature plasma technique[J]. Front Envir Sci Eng, 2014, 8(2): 277-283.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/10.1007/s11783-013-0562-8
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/Y2014/V8/I2/277

Tab.1 Concentrations of individual PCB congeners in the tested soil

Fig.1 Schematic diagram of the low-temperature plasma installation

Tab.2 Design of orthogonal experiment

Fig.2 GC-ECD chromatograph of polychlorinated biphenyl standards (21 PCBs, 50 μg·kg)

Fig.3 Removal rate of PCBs in soil under the different treatments

Tab.3 Removal rate of PCB congeners under the different treatments

Tab.4 Analysis of variance for removal rates of total PCBs in soil

Fig.4 PCB77-polluted soil before treatment

Fig.5 PCB77-polluted soil after treatment

Fig.6 PCB209-polluted soil before treatment

Fig.7 PCB209-polluted soil after treatment

Fig.8 PCB congener-polluted soil before treatment

Fig.9 PCB congener-polluted soil after treatment

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