The Dechlorination of Hvdrocarbons J PALLADISED IRON UTILISED FOR GROUND WATER PURIFICATION

The pollution of groundwater and soils by industrial chemicals is a cause of significant environmental concern. Treatment with palladium is suggested as a means of decontaminating certain occurrences ofpolluted soil and ground-water. Palladium can be chemically deposited onto zero-valence iron (Fen) and the resulting bimetal i s very effective in dechlorinating m a n y of the toxic chemicals, produced as industrial effluents, that are found in soils and ground-water. With a pal ladium content of 0.05 per cent ( w f w) , the rate at which trichloroethene i s dechlorinated i s one to two orders of magnitude faster than with iron alone. Similarly, a bimetal made of palladiumliron readily dechlorinates dichloromethane and polychlorinated biphenyls which are not easily reduced by Feo. This report describes the treatment of cont-aminated water with a palladiudiron bimetal. Such contaminated water is typically the legacy of past practices in which chlorinated degreas