Oxidative Photodegradation of Pyrene and Fluoranthene by Fe-Based and Zn-Based Fenton Reagents

Abid Hussain, Fahad N. Al-Barakah, Mohamed Al-Sewailem, Mohamed H. El-Saeid, Muhammad Waqar and Mahtab Ahmad
Additional contact information
Abid Hussain: Soil Sciences Department, College of Food & Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Fahad N. Al-Barakah: Soil Sciences Department, College of Food & Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed Al-Sewailem: Soil Sciences Department, College of Food & Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed H. El-Saeid: Soil Sciences Department, College of Food & Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Muhammad Waqar: Soil Sciences Department, College of Food & Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Mahtab Ahmad: Soil Sciences Department, College of Food & Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2017, vol. 9, issue 5, 1-10

Abstract: Increased industrialization has introduced a lot of hazardous materials into ecosystems. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the most toxic and persistent organic pollutants emanating from petrochemical industrial areas. Remediation of PAHs-contaminated soil has been a particularly big challenge. Photochemical oxidation–reduction processes have gained attention because of their high efficiency and robustness for PAH removal from contaminated soils. In this study, the efficacy of Fe-based and Zn-based Fenton reagents for remediating soil contaminated with pyrene (Pyr) and fluoranthene (Flr) is evaluated. UV treatment (2-h exposure) at 254 nm resulted in 21.6 and 28.5% degradations of Pyr and Flr, respectively. The Zn-based Fenton reagent performed better than the Fe-based reagent by degrading 99.9% of Pyr. The Fe-based Fenton reagent (under UV light) resulted in 97.1–99.7% and 95.1–98.9% Pyr and Flr degradations, respectively, in 0.5–2 h. Notably, the temperature increase during UV irradiation facilitated the enhanced degradation of Pyr and Flr, as observed from negative correlations ( r = (−)0.902–0.961 and p = 0.039–0.098) between the temperature and PAH concentrations. The newly tested Zn-based Fenton reagent was equally effective as the Fe-based Fenton reagent in degrading Pyr and Flr in soil. Hence, it can be used as a new alternative reagent to remediate PAH-polluted soils.

Keywords: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; photocatalysis; remediation; chromatography; advanced oxidation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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