Petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) such as gasoline are extensively used and hence are the most widespread and abundant of all organic contaminants occurring in soil and groundwater.  A number of technologies have been proposed to remediate PHC contaminated soil and groundwater, but most of them have limited applications.  

In situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) offers a rapid and aggressive alternative with the potential for total mineralization.  Persulfate is as a very strong oxidant with a high oxidation potential on activation to the sulfate free radical and has been shown to be capable of destroying a wide range of organic compounds including chlorinated solvents and BTEX compounds.  Since gasoline contains numerous organic compounds it is imperative to capture the extent of persulfate treatability by oxidation of selected individual components along with PHC fractions and the total petroleum hydrocarbon content (TPH).

We are investigating the ability unactivated and activated persulfate to treat gasoline range organics.  With the support of these bench-scale experiments a pilot-scale field trail is underway with various metrics being used to assess treatment performance.