In this study, the applicability of reduction-oxidation-linked treatment was evaluated for nitrobenzene and a by-product by analyzing the reaction kinetics. Nitrobenzene showed very low reactivity to persulfate that was activated using various methods. Nitrobenzene effectively reacted through the reduction process using Zero-Valent Iron (ZVI). However, aniline, a toxic substance, was produced as a by-product. Reduction-oxidation-linked treatment is a method that can allow the oxidative degradation of aniline after reducing nitrobenzene to aniline. The experimental results show improved reactivity and complete decomposition of the by-product. Improved reactivity and decomposition of the by-product were observed even under conditions in which the reduction-oxidation reaction was induced simultaneously. No activator was injected for persulfate activation in the process of reducing oxidant linkage, and the activation reaction was induced by ferrous iron eluted from the ZVI. This indicates that this method can be implemented relatively simply.

Oxidative degradation of phenol, three monochlorophenols (2-chlorophenol, 2-CP; 3-chlorophenol, 3-CP; 4-chlorophenol, 4-CP), four dichlorophenols (2,3-dichlorophenol, 2,3-DCP; 2,4-dichlorophenol, 2,4-DCP; 2,5-dichlorophenol, 2,5-DCP; 2,6-dichlorophenol, 2,6-DCP), and two trichlorophenols (2,4,5-trichlorophenol, 2,4,5-TCP; 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, 2,4,6-TCP) was conducted with heat activated persulfate. As the number of chlorinations increased, the reaction rate also increased. The reaction rate was relatively well fitted to the zero-order kinetic model, rather than the pseudo-first order kinetic model for the reactions at 60℃, which can be explained by insufficient activation of the persulfate at 60℃, and the oxidation reaction of 2,4,6-TCP at 70℃ was relatively well fitted to the pseudo-first order kinetic model. The oxidation reaction rate generally increased with increase of persulfate concentration in the solution. 2,6-dichloro-2,5-cyclohexadiene-1,4-dione was found as a degradation product in a GC/MS analysis. This compound is a non-aromatic compound, and one chlorine was removed. This result is similar to the result of previous studies. The current study proved that heat activated persulfate activation could be an alternative remediation technology for phenol and chlorophenols in soil and groundwater.

Oxidative degradation of chlorinated ethenes was carried out using heat-activated persulfate. The activation rate of persulfate was dependent on the temperature and the activation reaction rate could be explained based on the Arrhenius equation. The activation energy of persulfate was 19.3 kcal/mol under the assumption that the reaction between the sulfate radical and tricholoroethene (TCE) is very fast. Activation could be achieved at a moderate temperature, so that the adverse effects due to high temperature in the soil environment were mitigated. The reaction rate of TCE was directly proportional to the concentration of persulfate, indicating that the remediation rate can be controlled by the concentration of the injected persulfate. The solution was acidized after the oxidation, and this was dependent on the oxidation temperature. The consumption rate of persulfate was high in the presence of the target organic, but the self-decomposition rate became very low as the target was completely removed.