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ELECTROCHEMICAL DEGRADATION OF TRICHLOROETHYLENE USING GRANULAR-GRAPHITE ELECTRODES: IDENTIFICATION AND QUALIFICATION OF DECHLORINATION PRODUCTS
Citation:
AlAbed*, S R., Y. Fang**, AND V R. Kukainis*. ELECTROCHEMICAL DEGRADATION OF TRICHLOROETHYLENE USING GRANULAR-GRAPHITE ELECTRODES: IDENTIFICATION AND QUALIFICATION OF DECHLORINATION PRODUCTS. American Chemical Society National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, 3/23-27/2003.
Description:
TCE was successfully dechlorinated in aqueous solution using granular graphite as the cathode in a mixed electrochemical reactor. In experiments with an initial TCE concentration of less than 100 mg/l, TCE was reduced approximately by 75% in the reactor under an applied cell voltage of 10 V. The final compounds detected in TCE dechlorination were chloride in the solution, ethane and a minimal amount of methane and ethane in the headspace gas. Chloromethane and trace amounts of dichloroethylene (cis-1, 2-DCE) both in solution and in headspace gas were present. The mass balance of chlorine showed that amount of chloride converted from TCE was much less than the amount of chlorine in TCE that had been reduced. The chloride yield decreased as a higher cell voltage was applied. Another experiment using the reactor with a solution that contained only chloride demonstrated that the chloride was consumed in the reactor. Chloromethane was also generated indicating that chloromethane was a product of chloride oxidation at the graphite anode. To prevent chloride oxidation, bromide was added to the TCE solution, significantly increasing the chloride yield. This experimental study confirmed the effective electrochemical dechlorination of TCE in water with the possibility of using this technology to treat TCE contaminated sediments and soils.