Instructor: Dr. Alan Weston (Conestoga-Rovers & Associates)
Audio: Recorded from a live Internet Seminar
Duration: 1 Hour
Price: $149
Abstract: Chlorinated benzenes are chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons that have been introduced into the environment, because of their previous widespread use as solvents, pesticides, and intermediates in the manufacture of organic chemicals. They have contaminated subsurface environments either due to routine industrial waste disposal practices or accidental spills resulting from leaking storage tanks, pipes, and from landfill leachate. Actual contamination of environments is most often caused by mixtures of pollutants including chlorinated benzenes. These types of contaminants are difficult to treat with existing remedial technologies. Innovative technologies such as bioremediation and chemical oxidation have been used as techniques to remediate sites contaminated with chlorobenzenes. CRA has conducted many bench-scale, pilot-scale and full-scale treatments for sites contaminated with chlorobenzenes.
Specifically, detoxification of chlorobenzenes by anaerobic biodegradation processes seems appropriate because many of the subsurface source environments are either anaerobic or oxygen-limited. Highly chlorinated aromatic compounds can be transformed into less toxic and more biodegradable compounds under anaerobic conditions by reductive dechlorination. The reductive dechlorination is a biologically-catalyzed reaction involving step-wise replacement of chlorine atoms by hydrogen atoms (one chlorine atom is replaced by a hydrogen atom at a time). As a result of reductive dechlorination many of the toxic and recalcitrant highly chlorinated compounds can potentially be transferred to less chlorinated and less toxic compounds.
This presentation will provide an overview of the fate and transport of chlorobenzenes in the environment and the technologies used for their remediation. The details that will be provided in this seminar would be useful for CRA personnel functioning in the role of project manager and/or project engineer.
This seminar will provide the participants with:
- An overview of the properties of chlorobenzenes;
- Fate and transport in the environment;
- Innovative technologies for remediation;
- Case studies and examples of projects performed by CRA.
