Impacts of ISCO Persulfate, Peroxide and Permanganate Oxidants on Soils: Soil Oxidant Demand and Soil Properties

Abstract The consumption of in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) oxidant by soil oxidizable matter (OM), termed the soil oxidant demand (SOD), is an essential factor when designing treatments for successful remediation at an ISCO site. This study aims to assess the impact of different oxidants on SOD and the soil itself, using the Taguchi experimental design. Five oxidation systems, including persulfate (PS), hydrogen peroxide (HP), permanganate (PM), Fe2+ activated PS and Fe2+ activated HP, and four factors including oxidant concentration, activator concentration, reaction time, and pH were investigated. The results of the Taguchi analysis in this study show that oxidant concentration had the greatest effect on the SOD. Other factors also affected the SOD and the optimum conditions for achieving a lower SOD were determined using the Taguchi design method. Additionally, original and oxidized soils were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope equipped with an X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer to determine the surface morphology and chemical composition of the samples. Variations in soil organic carbon levels and total soil bacterial counts were recorded and the speciation of soil minerals (Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn) was analyzed. Keywords: In-situ chemical oxidationchemical oxidationSODsoil and groundwater remediationsoil organic matterTaguchi Acknowledgement This study was funded by the National Science Council (NSC) of Taiwan under project numbers 95-2622-E-005-001-CC3 and 96-2221-E-005-017-MY3.