Abstract
Advanced oxidation processes for the removal and destruction of hazardous organic chemicals in water and wastewater is a research area of increasing interest. Advanced oxidation processes generally consider the hydroxyl radical, OH-, the major reactive transient species. A novel process under development, utilizing high energy electrons, extends this concept to include the simultaneous formation of approximately equal concentrations of oxidizing and reducing species. Irradiation of aqueous solutions results in the formation of the aqueous electron, e−aq, hydrogen atoms, H-, and OH-. These reactive transient species initiate chemical reactions capable of destroying organic compounds in aqueous solution. This paper presents data on the removal of six common organic contaminants that have been studied at the Electron Beam Research Facility. The removal and the factors affecting removal were determined. This study focuses on halogenated ethenes, benzene and substituted benzenes. Removal is described in waters of different quality, including potable water, and raw and secondary wastewater. Removal efficiencies ranged from 85 to >99% and varied with water quality, solute concentration, dose and compound.
