Persulfate oxidation for remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contaminated soil

The activation methods and mechanism of persulfate oxidation were introduced. Based on this, comparative experiments were set up to analyze the effects of sodium hydroxide and ferrous sulfate activating sodium persulfate oxidation on the remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contaminated soil. The effects of pH, the ratio of ferrous sulfate to sodium persulfate, and the reaction time on the removal of PAHs by the ferrous sulfate/sodium persulfate system were investigated, and the composition of reaction products was studied. The results showed that compared with sodium hydroxide, ferrous sulfate had a better effect on remediating PAHs contaminated soil by activated sodium persulfate oxidation. When the pH was acidic or neutral, the quantity ratio of ferrous sulfate to sodium persulfate was 1∶2.0, and the reaction time was 5 days, the removal effect of PAHs was the best. Therefore, on the basis of controlling the reaction conditions, the activation of sodium persulfate by transition metal ions was one of the better methods to repair PAHs contaminated soil.