Endocrine-Disrupting Chemical Degradation in Hazardous Waste Using Microwave Peroxide Oxidation and Acid

Abstract

Microwave peroxide oxidation (MPO) has been demonstrated as an energy-efficient and low-GHG emission technology for destroying hazardous organic compounds in solid waste. The objective of this article was to study the degradation feasibility of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in hazardous wastes using MPO treatment with selected acid combinations. Three EDCs, nonylphenol (NP), bisphenol A (BPA), polychlorinated dibenzo-pdioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDDs/Fs), contained in different hazardous wastes (i.e., fly ash, soil, and sludge cake) were adopted in this work. Over 85% of the EDCs, including the persistent PCDDs/Fs in raw wastes could be degraded in 60 min at the temperature of 450 K using the MPO treatment. One of the most interesting findings is that nearly all NPs and BPAs, over 99%, in hazardous wastes could be degraded in 20 min at the temperature of 450 K. Degradation efficiency in order was NP, BPA, and PCDDs/Fs. It is concluded that MPO with selected acid combination provided the potential to destroy the EDC contents in hazardous wastes down to a low level as a function of the treatment time. Some problems caused by the MPO method are also delineated in this article.