Field Applications of the KPEG (Potassium Polyethylene Glycolate) Process for Treating Chlorinated Wastes

摘要

The KPEG chemical dechlorination process was identified at the Franklin Research Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1978 for the dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in oil. Further process development, primarily by the U.S. EPA Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory, has focused on the dechlorination of PCBs and other potentially toxic halogenated aromatic compounds such as tetrachlorodibenzodioxin that contaminate soils. In 1987, in Moreau, New York a pilot-scale treatment system was demonstrated on PCB-contaminated soil in batches of 35 lb each. The demonstration was the first attempt to dechlorinate PCB-contaminated soil in a reactor/mixer at a scale larger than that used in the laboratory. Analytical results of the demonstration indicated an average PCB reduction of 99.7%, thus illustrating the efficacy of the potassium polyethylene glycolate (KPEG) technology at a larger scale and warranting assessment for scale-up.