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Thermal dechlorination of heavily PCB-contaminated soils from a sealed site of PCB-containing electrical equipment

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Abstract

A large amount of soils are contaminated by leakage of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from sealed-up PCB-containing electrical equipment in China. Thermal dechlorination of soils contaminated with PCBs at a level of 108 mg g−1 and PCB77 (3,3′,4,4′-tetrachlorobiphenyl) as a model isomer in conjunction with calcium oxide was investigated in this study. The PCB dechlorination rate improved with increased temperature and time. The highest dechlorination rate was 85.3 %, and temperature was the main influencing factor. Pentachlorobiphenyl and tetrachlorobiphenyl in soils decreased or disappeared in response to treatment at 350 and 400 °C for 4 h, while monochlorinated biphenyl and biphenyl were detected after the reaction, indicating the presence of a dechlorination/hydrogenation pathway. Discrepancy in chlorine balance was observed after low-temperature thermal dechlorination. The species of dechlorination products were identified as amorphous carbon containing a crystalline graphite plane structure and a carbonyl group-containing polymerized product, demonstrating the existence of a dechlorination/polymerization pathway. The yield of amorphous carbon and high-molecular-weight intermediates increased with heating time. The results showed that the discrepancy in chlorine balance was because of the generation of polymerized products and undetected intermediates.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21377121).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China

    Xingbao Gao, Bingjing Ji & Qifei Huang

  2. School of River and Ocean Engineering, Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing, 400074, China

    Bingjing Ji

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  1. Xingbao Gao
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  2. Bingjing Ji
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  3. Qifei Huang
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Correspondence to Xingbao Gao.

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Responsible editor: Hongwen Sun

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Gao, X., Ji, B. & Huang, Q. Thermal dechlorination of heavily PCB-contaminated soils from a sealed site of PCB-containing electrical equipment. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 15544–15550 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6680-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6680-7

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