Fenton oxidation of ethanol-washed distillation-concentrated benzo(A)pyrene: reaction product identification and biodegradability

After multiple ethanol washings followed by distillation, concentrated benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P) in ethanol (≈85 mg L–1) was treated by Fenton oxidation, where >99.8% of B(a)P was removed under a pseudo-first-order reaction. GC–MS and HPLC analysis identified B(a)P-1,6-, -3,6-, and -6,12-dione as Fenton oxidation products; all of which are known to have lower toxicity than B(a)P. Microbial resistance experiments demonstrated that B(a)P-1,6-, -3,6-, and -6,12-dione are more easily degraded than B(a)P. These results indicate that the proposed treatment can be effectively applied to remediate B(a)P-contaminated soil.