Mechanochemical destruction of halogenated organic pollutants: A critical review

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials Vol. 313; pp. 85 - 102
• Main Authors: Cagnetta, Giovanni, Robertson, John, Huang, Jun, Zhang, Kunlun, Yu, Gang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 05.08.2016
• Subjects: Halogenated persistent organic pollutants (POPs); High energy milling; Mechanochemistry; Non-thermal destruction; Halogenated persistent organic pollutants (POPs); Non-thermal destruction; High energy milling; Mechanochemistry
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2016.03.076

•Current knowledge on mechanochemical destruction of halogenated POPs is summarized.•Effective reagents and milling conditions are examined.•Destruction mechanisms are presented in detail.•Future perspectives about research and application are discussed. Many tons of intentionally produced obsolete halogenated persistent organic pollutants (POPs), are stored worldwide in stockpiles, often in an unsafe manner. These are a serious threat to the environment and to human health due to their ability to migrate and accumulate in the biosphere. New technologies, alternatives to combustion, are required to destroy these substances, hopefully to their complete mineralization. In the last 20 years mechanochemical destruction has shown potential to achieve pollutant degradation, both of the pure substances and in contaminated soils. This capability has been tested for many halogenated pollutants, with various reagents, and under different milling conditions. In the present paper, a review of the published work in this field is followed by a critique of the state of the art of POPs mechanochemical destruction and its applicability to full-scale halogenated waste treatment.