Kinetic and thermodynamic studies of chlorinated organic compound degradation by siderite-activated peroxide and...

The efficacy of two oxidant systems, iron-activated hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and iron-activated hydrogen peroxide coupled with persulfate (S₂O₈^2-), was investigated for treatment of two chlorinated organic compounds, trichloroethene (TCE) and 1,2-dichloroethane (DCA). Batch tests were conducted at multiple temperatures (10-50 °C) to investigate degradation kinetics and reaction thermodynamics. The influence of an inorganic salt, dihydrogen phosphate ion (H₂PO₄^-), on oxidative degradation was also examined. The degradation of TCE was promoted in both systems, with greater degradation observed for higher temperatures. The inhibition effect of H₂PO₄^- on the degradation of TCE increased with increasing temperature for the iron-activated H₂O₂ system but decreased for the iron-activated hydrogen peroxide-persulfate system. DCA degradation was limited in the iron-activated hydrogen peroxide system. Conversely, significant DCA degradation (87% in 48 hours at 20 °C) occurred in the iron-activated hydrogen peroxide-persulfate system, indicating the crucial role of sulfate radical (SO₄^-·) from persulfate on the oxidative degradation of DCA. The activation energy values varied from 37.7 to 72.9 kJ/mol, depending on the different reactants. Overall, the binary hydrogen peroxide-persulfate oxidant system exhibited better performance than hydrogen peroxide alone for TCE and DCA degradation.