Effect of soil chemical properties on the remediation of phenanthrene-contaminated soil by electrokinetic-Fenton process

The electrokinetic-Fenton (EK-Fenton) remediation of soil contaminated with phenanthrene was studied. Two different soils were chosen to investigate the effects of chemical properties, such as Fe oxide contents and acid soil buffer capacity. The H2O2 concentrations in pore water, the electrical potential distributions and the electrical currents were monitored to assess the electrochemical effect in relation to the soil properties. Hadong caly had high acid buffer capacity, and thus the amount of electroosmotic flow was lager in the experiment with Hadong clay than with EPK kaolin. The major mechanism of phenanthrene removal was a degradation in the experiment with EPK Kaolin, while it was a simple transport away from the system in experiment with Hadong clay. It was mainly because of the lower acid buffering capacity and better H2O2 stability in case with EPK Kaolin than with Hadong clay.