EMPIRICAL-MODELS FOR ESTIMATING THE DESTRUCTION OF TOXIC ORGANIC-COMPOUNDS UTILIZING ELECTRON-BEAM IRRADIATION AT FULL SCALE

The Electron Beam Research Facility (EBRF) located in Miami, Florida h ouses a 1.5 MeV, 50 mA electron accelerator. Extensive large scale (45 0 l/min) research on the use of electron beams for the treatment of wa ter and wastewater has been conducted at this facility over the last s everal years. Recent efforts have focused on developing predictive equ ations for evaluating the effectiveness of electron beam irradiation f or treatment of industrial wastes and contaminated groundwaters. This paper develops descriptive empirical models for estimating the removal of selected organic compounds (benzene, toluene, phenol, PCE, TCE and chloroform) by electron beam irradiation as a function of initial con taminant concentration, pH and the presence or absence of suspended ma terials. Models to estimate the electron dose required to meet specifi c treatment objectives are also presented. These dose estimates can be used to evaluate the cost of treatment for treatment systems which ut ilize electron beam accelerators of various voltages, power, and cost.