Toxicity decontamination reagents

A major concern in this type of processing involves the toxicity of any reagents and/or reaction products which may inadvertently be left in the decontaminated soil after treatment. Some toxicity data on reagents used in the process are shown in Table I, along with comparison values for sodium chloride and 2,3,7,8-TCDD. 

Treatment Treatment involves neutralization of chemical, biological, and physical characteristics that make a waste hazardous to the environment. For example, acids that cause corrosion can be neutralized with basic substances, reagents, or through pH adjustment. Cement has also been used to decrease toxicity of some hazardous wastes through stabilization, often those found in sludge. Industrial hazardous wastes may receive either chemical treatments, such as chlorination, oxidation, and chemical bonding, or the application of physical techniques not limited to distillation and filtration. Medical wastes are considered biohazards that can cause the spread of disease and present different treatment issues. Treatment techniques for these biological wastes include steam sterilization and chemical decontamination before disposal. 

Chemical reagents wbicb are capable of reacting specifically with an unreactive component of tbe oil, namely PCBs, while leaving other essential components intact, must be carefully researched in terms of chemical reactivity, safe handling, storage capability, toxicity and cost. Tbe following discussion gives a brief overview of some of tbe work wbicb has so far been completed in tbe development of tbe Mini-Oil-Plant (MOP) system for tbe PCB decontamination of mineral oils. 

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