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Under subcritical conditions, we studied the chemical extraction of arsenic (As) from contaminated soils that were sampled from the vicinity of abandoned mines and a smelting plant in South Korea. The total initial concentrations of As in the soil samples from the Myungbong and Cheongyang mines and the Janghang smelting plant were 298.6, 145.6, and 103.7 mg/kg, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed that the species of As identified in the soil was As(+V), including As 2 O 5 and AsO 4 3− .At 20 • C, only 27.4, 26.5, and 40.1% of the total As was extracted from the Myungbong, Cheongyang, and Janghang soil samples, respectively, with 100 mM of NaOH. As the temperature was increased to 300 • C, the extraction efficiencies remarkably increased. However, to achieve the complete extraction of As from the soils, 100 mM of citric acid, EDTA, or NaOH was needed at 200, 250, or 300 • C. Extraction with subcritical water at 300 • C resulted in incomplete extraction of As from the soils. The results of these experiments indicate that extraction mechanisms other than oxidative dissolution of As(+III) species may be responsible for the enhancement of As extraction. Our results suggest that subcritical water extraction combined with extracting reagents can effectively remediate As-contaminated soil regardless of the As species.

The abiotic transformations of 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) has been examined in the presence and of zero valent iron (Fe(0)) under subcritical conditions. It was found that the degradation of DCP was significantly enhanced, showing complete degradation of DCP in 3 h at 300 °C. Control experiments without Fe(0) indicated that the removal of DCP in the iron-water system was mostly due to subcritical water oxidation and that the enhancement of degradation in the presence of Fe(0) was less significant. Regardless of Fe(0), PCBs were rapidly decomposed, showing 93% destruction in 5 h at 300 °C. Product identification by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis showed that the reductive transformation of DCP and PCBs w Fe(0) existed under subcritical conditions. Our results suggest that subcritical water degradation may be a possible remediation option to treat DCP and PCBs in water and soil.