Thermal desorption of polychlorobiphenyls from contaminated soils and their hydrodechlorination using Pd- and Rh-supported catalysts

Chemosphere. 2008 Jan;70(6):1052-8. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2007.07.074. Epub 2007 Sep 11.

Abstract

This paper reports about a combined technology for soil remediation from PCBs using the thermal desorption technique coupled with the catalytic hydrogenation of recovered PCBs. The reactor is a bench scale rotating desorption furnace through which nitrogen is flushed and used as carrier gas of desorbed PCBs. The latter are condensed into an hexane or hexane-acetone (1:1 v/v) solution that is then hydrogenated using phosphate-supported Pd or Rh as catalyst. The analysis of the treated soil, under variable operative conditions (temperature and desorption time), shows that the total (99.8%) decontamination from PCBs occurs. The recovery yield of the desorbed PCBs is better than 75% and the subsequent hydrogenation reaches 63% of the collected PCBs in 5h or 100% in 12h.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adsorption
  • Catalysis
  • Environmental Restoration and Remediation / methods
  • Models, Theoretical
  • Palladium / chemistry*
  • Polychlorinated Biphenyls / chemistry*
  • Rhodium / chemistry*
  • Soil Pollutants / chemistry*
  • Temperature

Substances

  • Soil Pollutants
  • Palladium
  • Polychlorinated Biphenyls
  • Rhodium