DESTRUCTION OF TRICHLOROETHYLENE BY UV LIGHT-CATALYZED OXIDATION WITHHYDROGEN-PEROXIDE

Advanced oxidation processes provide a destructive, economical alterna tive to conventional treatment methods for the removal of hazardous or ganic pollutants from groundwaters and industrial wastewaters. This pr oject investigated the kinetics of trichloroethylene oxidation by ultr aviolet light and hydrogen peroxide. The reaction rate of trichloroeth ylene was first order in ultraviolet light intensity and pseudo first order in trichloroethylene concentration. The rate was first order in hydrogen peroxide concentration at low peroxide levels, but independen t of peroxide concentration at high peroxide levels. The maximum rate attainable depended on the reactor depth, with the shallower reactor y ielding the larger maximum rate. A mechanism for trichloroethylene oxi dation was proposed which yielded a rate expression consistent with th e experimental observations.