| Abstract: | Laboratory experiments were conducted to test the feasibility of ozone sparging to oxidize PCBs in sediments, and to determine the organic acid content and biodegradability of the oxidation products. Two PCBs were tested; 2‐,2′‐dichlorobiphenyl (DCB) and 2‐,3‐,4‐,2′‐,3′‐,4′‐hexachlorobiphenyl (HCB). DCB and HCB were allowed to adsorb onto solids in slurries of pure kaolinite and river sediments containing 2% native organic matter (NOM). Ozone was sparged through the slurries while concentrations of PCBs and Cl?, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were measured with time. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used to identify the organic acids produced from the reaction of ozone with DCB and HCB. After sparging, the liquid was placed in bioreactors with inoculum from a domestic wastewater treatment plant and nutrients. Ozone sparging in the kaolinite slurries removed 94% of HCB and 97% of DCB in 30 days. In contrast, 55 days were required to achieve the same PCB removal in river sediment slurries. Ozone doses per g of DCB and HCB in kaolinite were 19 g and 30 g, respectively. Doses were 13–14 times greater in river sediments. Formic and oxalic acids were ozonation products of both PCBs. Specific ozonation products of DCB and HCB were 2‐hydroxybenzoic acid and 2,3,4‐trihydroxybenzoic acid, respectively. The results show that ozone caused ring cleavage of PCBs and stoichiometric replacement of Cl with OH groups. Over 93% of the soluble COD from ozone sparging was biodegraded within 20–26 days in the bioreactors. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry |
