Chlorinated organics bring toxicity from water, soil, and sediment phases, and exert a cumulative,deleterious effect on the environment. Various Superfund sites contain mixtures of RGBs, chloroethylenes,and other compounds. The degradation of of chloro-organics to nontoxic, non-chlorinated, and easilybiodegradable products will require integrated approaches involving 'combined' (reductive and oxidative)remediation technologies. Our proposed approach to use combined technologies should lead to significantimprovement over current remediation practices by the elimination of the production of chloro-organicintermediates. Our research will focus on the degradation of selected RGBs, TCE, and RGB mixtures. Athorough understanding of the reaction kinetics for both steps (reductive and oxidative), the potential role ofsurfactants, and material (such as doping catalyst metals, chelates) characteristics will be important for theintegration of the steps. The approaches taken for reductive dechlorination by bimetallic nanoparticles inpolymer media and nanotubes will allow the development of highly controlled structures for high reactivityand stability. The proposed technology will have a significant impact on the role of nanostructured materialsand hydroxyl radical /superoxide radical anion reaction pathway in the environmental field for current andfuture needs. The technique for potential on-site generation of hydrogen peroxide and gluconic acid (ironchelate) provides enzyme (glucose oxidase) immobilization using an innovative approach of layer- by-layerassembled membranes, and this should enhance application opportunities in various Superfund sites.Kinetic modeling of both oxidative and reductive systems should establish an excellent foundation forfundamental understanding of bimetallic nanotechnology-based systems and for chelate-modifiedhydroxyl/superoxide radical-based reactions. Another important aspect of this proposal is that pollutanttoxicity will be reduced significantly for both the dechlorination step and the combined reaction systems.Relevance: The proposed research is expected to have significant positive impact on pollution remediationthrough flexible dechlorination technology developments with significant reduction of material usage, andhighly improved health benefits through toxicity reduction.
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