The treatment of soil contaminated with pentachlorophenol, trifluralin [2,6‐dinitro‐N, N‐dipropyl‐4‐(trifluoromethyl) benzenamine], hexadecane, and dieldrin (3,4,5,6,9,9‐hexachloro‐1a,2,2a,3,6,6a,7,7a‐octahydro‐2,7:3,6‐dimethanonaphth[2,3‐b]oxirene) using catalyzed hydrogen peroxide [H202 and iron(II)] was investigated in a soil of low development with organic C ranging from 2000 mg kg–1 to 16 000 mg kg–1. Soil treatment was conducted at pH 3 with 240 and 400 mg L–1 iron additions and 120 000 mg L–1 H2O2. Pentachlorophenol and trifluralin degradation rates decreased as a function of soil organic C content. However, soil organic C had no effect on the degradation rates of dieldrin and hexadecane. In addition, the four contaminants degraded at equal rates with soil containing organic C > 10 000 mg kg–1. The ratio of first‐order rate constants for contaminant degradation to hydrogen peroxide consumption (kcontaminant/kh2O2) was used as an empirical measure of treatment efficiency. These ratios were sensitive to both the soil organic C content and to the concentration of iron added during treatment. The efficiency ratios were highest for treatment with no iron addition; these data suggest that iron minerals and H2O2 provide a system in which Fenton‐like oxidations are catalyzed. The ability of iron minerals and H2O2 to oxidize pentachlorophenol was evaluated in goethite‐, hematite‐, and magnetite‐silica sand at pH 3. Pentachlorophenol was degraded in the mineral‐silica sand systems, which was verified by the loss of organic C and the stoichiometric recovery of chloride.
