Abstract
Catalytic dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) using Pd coated Fe was examined to investigate the parameters for designing permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) to treat PCB-contaminated groundwater. The Pd coated Fe of various Pd loading rates of 0.01%, 0.03%, 0.06%, and 0.3% onto Fe (0) were tested with the initial concentration of 20mg/L of Aroclor-1254. Congener-specific analysis was conducted to compare the total and congener-specific dechlorination rate of PCBs using high resolution mass spectrometer (HRMS). Using 0.3% Pd coated Fe, Aroclor-1254 of 99.98% was dechlorinated down to 0.005mg/L within 120hours. The Pd coated Fe is suggested to be a promising reactive material for PRBs to treat the refractory contaminants such as PCBs in groundwater.
