Process Conditions for the Total Oxidation of Hydrocarbons

摘要

The research utilized factorial experimental designs to determine conditions forcompletely oxidizing (i.e., mineralizing) hexadecane and benzo(a)pyrene in silica sand and a Palouse loess soil. Experimental design techniques allowed for a thorough evaluation of Fenton's reagent for the complete oxidation of the hexadecane and benzo(a)pyrene to CO2 and H2O using C14 labeled compounds. Whereas conventional experimental procedures entail altering a single variable while holding all others constant, experimental design allowed the investigation of three variables simultaneously. The methodology allows for not only the determination of effects caused by the variables themselves but also interactions occurring between variables. In addition, using factorial experimental designs allows for the evaluation of each experiment based upon statistical validity which is often not possible with conventional experimental procedures.