Mechanism of surfactant in trichloroethene degradation in aqueous solution by sodium persulfate activated with chelated-Fe(II)

The mechanism of surfactants in surfactant-in situ chemical oxidation (S-ISCO) coupled process for trichloroethene (TCE) degradation was firstly reported. The performance of TCE solubilization and inhibition of TCE degradation in three nonionic surfactants (TW-80, Brij-35, TX-100) in PS/Fe(II)/citric acid (CA) system was compared and TW-80 was evaluated to be the optimal surfactant in S-ISCO coupled process due to the best TCE solubilizing ability and minimal inhibition for TCE degradation (only 31.8% TCE inhibition in the presence of 1 g L-1 TW-80 surfactant). The inhibition mechanism in TCE degradation was also demonstrated by comparing the strength of ROSs and PS utilization. In the presence of TW-80 (1 g L-1), over 97.5% TCE was removed at the PS/Fe(II)/CA/TCE molar ratio of 30/4/4/1, in which more than 86.7% TCE was dechlorinated. The result of scavenger experiments revealed that the dominant radicals were HO center dot and SO4-center dot in PS/Fe(II)/CA system in TW-80 containing aqueous solution, among which SO4-center dot performed a greater role in TCE removal. Moreover, over 85.3% TCE degradation in actual groundwater revealed the potential of PS/Fe(II)/CA process for actual groundwater remediation in containing TW-80 of TCE contaminant. This research provided a novel alternative technology for groundwater remediation with TCE contaminant when containing surfactants.

Automated summary

The study found that TW-80 was the optimal surfactant for TCE solubilization and degradation. In the presence of 1 g L-1 TW-80, over 97.5% of TCE was removed at the PS/Fe(II)/CA/TCE molar ratio of 30/4/4/1, with more than 86.7% of TCE dechlorinated. The results suggest the potential of the PS/Fe(II)/CA process for actual groundwater remediation in containing TW-80 of TCE contaminant.