In-Place Detoxication of Dioxin-Contaminated Soil

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Abstract
Soil contamination by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (dioxin) is a large environmental problem in the U.S. In-place destruction of dioxin in soil offers political and economic advantages over presently envisioned cleanup scenaria. We report preliminary experiments on the in-place detoxication of dioxin-containing soil by irradiation with ultraviolet light in the presence of organic solvents and aqueous surfactant emulsions. Spraying soil with 0.5-3% w/w of organic surfactants and irradiation with a mercury vapor lamp reduced the dioxin concentration in soil from 671 ng/g to 11 ng/g, 98% reduction, within 31 hours. The data suggest that solubilization of dioxin is the primary step during the in-place photolysis of the soil, that organic solvents are not necessary, and that detoxication of selected areas of dioxin contamination is feasible within reasonable time frames.

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