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A PERFORMANCE HISTORY OF THE BASE CATALYZED DECOMPOSITION (BCD) PROCESS
Citation:
Schupp, D. A., E. R. Krishnan, AND G L. Huffman*. A PERFORMANCE HISTORY OF THE BASE CATALYZED DECOMPOSITION (BCD) PROCESS. Remediation Journal 9(4):1-11, (1999).
Description:
Remediation of halogenated organic compounds--such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs)--poses a challenge because these compounds are resistant to microbial attack and to degradation by many common chemicals. Since the mid-1980s, EPA's Office of Research and Development in Cincinnati, Ohio--the National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL)--has funded research and development efforts to develop specialized, chemical dehalogenation processes for detoxifying PCBs and related compounds. EPA-NRMRL owns domesitc rights for "basic process" patents on a chemical dehalogenation process commonly known as Base Catalyzed Decomposition (BCD). EPA has licensed the process to two firms for use in the U.S. This paper summarizes laboratory-scale, pilot-scale, and field performance data on BCD technology, collected to date by various governmental, academic, and private organizations.