Volatile organic compounds (VOC) such as trichloroethene (TCE) and tetrachloroethene (PCE) cause the contamination of groundwater and soil pollution around the world. It is well-known that persulfate oxidation process activated by ferrous ion has been utilized for the treatment of organic pollutant. In this study, degradation of TCE using persulfate oxidation process with tartaric acid and iron ion was investigated. Tartaric acid accelerated the rate of TCE degradation more than other organic acids used in the experiment. Tartaric Acid/Fe/Persulfate/TCE molar ratio of 2/5/20/1 is the most efficient for TCE degradation. The complex of ferric ion and tartaric acid plays an important role in the reaction of TCE degradation.
