Dechlorination of PCBs in the simulative transformer oil by microwave-hydrothermal reaction with zero-valent iron involved

The conventional hydrothermal reaction with iron powder, NaOH and H(2)O as reactants was reported to occur at temperature above 423 K. and iron oxides (Fe(3)O(4) and NaFeO(2)) and hydrogen were produced. In this study, microwave heating was adopted to take the place of conventional heating to induce the hydrothermal reaction. Under microwave irradiation, NaOH and H(2)O absorbed microwave energy by space charge polarization and dipolar polarization and instantly converted it into thermal energy, which initiated the hydrothermal reaction that involved with zero-valent iron. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis found Fe(3)O(4)/NaFeO(2) and confirmed the occurrence of microwave-induced hydrothermal reaction. The developed microwave-hydrothermal reaction was employed for the dechlorination of PCBs. Hexadecane containing 100 mg L(-1) of Aroclor1254 was used as simulative transformer oil, and the dechlorination of PCBs was evaluated by GC/ECD, GC/MS and ion chromatography. For PCBs in 10 mL simulative transformer oil, almost complete dechlorination was achieved by 750 W microwave irradiation for 10 min, with 0.3 g iron powder, 0.3 g NaOH and 0.6 mL H(2)O added. The effects of important factors including microwave power and the amounts of reactants added, on the dechlorination degree were investigated, moreover, the dechlorination mechanism was suggested. Microwave irradiation combined with the common and cheap materials, iron powder, NaOH and H(2)O, might provide a fast and cost-effective method for the treatment of PCBs-containing wastes. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.