A Study of Full Scale PUV/US Hybrid System for Contaminant Treatment in Groundwater

Chlorinated hydrocarbons (TCE and PCE), petroleum hydrocarbons (BTEX, PAHs, and TPH), and explosive compounds (TNT, RDX, and HMX) have been detected in underground water countrywide. The overall objective of this study is to evaluate sono-catalytic degradation coupled with the use of PUV in order to understand the fate and transport of a representative selection of non-biodegradable contaminants (i.e., TCE, PCE, BTEX, PAHs, TPH, TNT, RDX, and HMX) in groundwater. Both ultraviolet (UV) and ultrasound (US) systems are used in degrading of organic contaminants and they can thus be applicable simultaneously as an UV/US hybrid system in attempts further to increase the degradation efficiency. Results indicate that synergistic effect of UV/US hybrid system is closely correlated to the enhancement of sono-chemical reactivity with the UV-US interaction of increasing the formation rate of OH by providing additional H2O2 production through the pyrolysis of water molecules during UV/US hybrid irradiation. Key words: Pulsed Ultraviolet, Ultrasound, Groundwater, Radical, Catalyst