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The effects of humic acid and soil on black carbon-mediated reduction of 2,4-dinitrotoluene

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Abstract

Black carbon (BC) can act as a catalyst to promote the reductive transformation of redox-sensitive organic chemicals in electron-rich conditions. This process is called a BC-mediated reduction. To determine the effects of natural organic matter and the existence of soil on the BC-mediated reduction of nitroaromatics (NACs) in subsurface environments, a BC-mediated reduction of 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT) by dithiothreitol was investigated using graphite, humic acid (HA), and soil. The presence of dissolved HA in the graphite–dithiothreitol–DNT system showed different yields of reduction intermediates and pathways, indicating that different reduction/removal mechanisms are involved. Control experiments with HA alone confirmed that the HA-mediated reduction of DNT and HA–DNT complexation are existed. Kinetically, HA did not slow the reductive removal of DNT in the graphite–dithiothreitol system. In contrast, the existence of soil in the system retarded the BC-mediated reduction of DNT, probably due to competitive sorption and hindrance of mass transfer. Our results suggest that the amounts of BC and HA may affect the BC-mediated reduction of NACs in soils and sediments.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the 2015 research fund of University of Ulsan, South Korea.

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  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Ulsan, Ulsan, 680-749, South Korea

    Seok-Young Oh & Jong-Gil Son

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  1. Seok-Young Oh
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  2. Jong-Gil Son
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Correspondence to Seok-Young Oh.

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Oh, SY., Son, JG. The effects of humic acid and soil on black carbon-mediated reduction of 2,4-dinitrotoluene. Environ Earth Sci 75, 79 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4826-4

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