Evaluation of Hydrogen/Oxygen release compounds for the remediation of VOCs

Problem statement: In this work the potential of two reagents (HRC and ORC from Regenesis) for the remediation of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) is evaluated considering the results of some laboratory tests. Approach: Five series of batch tests were performed with an artificial polluted aqueous phase and some soil coming from a polluted site in which natural attenuation of VOCs occurs. Hydrogen Release Compound (HRC) and Oxygen Release Compound (ORC) were tested about the degradation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) and some chlorinated aliphatic compounds (CAHs), and the net contribute of the soil in removing the pollutants from the aqueous phase by means of sorption processes was also evaluated. Results: The experimental data were modeled by means of different mathematical equations, considering zero and first order kinetics, and the results were discussed and compared. Conclusions: ORC exhibited a good efficiency in the degradation of BTEX and the zero order model was found as a reliable approximation of experimental data (with the exceptions of benzene and toluene, for which a first order kinetic model was trustworthy), while HRC showed a good efficiency in the degradation of CAHs and a first order model consistently estimated almost all experimental data.