1 research outputs found
TAML Activator/Peroxide-Catalyzed Facile Oxidative Degradation of the Persistent Explosives Trinitrotoluene and Trinitrobenzene in Micellar Solutions
TAML activators are well-known for
their ability to activate hydrogen
peroxide to oxidize persistent pollutants in water. The trinitroaromatic
explosives, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene
(TNB), are often encountered together as persistent, toxic pollutants.
Here we show that an aggressive TAML activator with peroxides boosts
the effectiveness of the known surfactant/base promoted breakdown
of TNT and transforms the surfactant induced nondestructive binding
of base to TNB into an extensive multistep degradation process. Treatment
of basic cationic surfactant solutions of either TNT or TNB with TAML/peroxide
(hydrogen peroxide and <i>tert</i>-butylhydroperoxide, TBHP)
gave complete pollutant removal for both in <1 h with >75% of
the
nitrogen and ≥20% of the carbon converted to nitrite/nitrate
and formate, respectively. For TNT, the TAML advantage is to advance
the process toward mineralization. Basic surfactant solutions of TNB
gave the colored solutions typical of known Meisenheimer complexes
which did not progress to degradation products over many hours. However
with added TAML activator, the color was bleached quickly and the
TNB starting compound was degraded extensively toward minerals within
an hour. A slower surfactant-free TAML activator/peroxide process
also degrades TNT/TNB effectively. Thus, TAML/peroxide amplification
effectively advances TNT and TNB water treatment giving reason to
explore the environmental applicability of the approach