When microbiologically-based pollution control strategies are not adapted or relevant, chemical oxidation is often a viable strategy. ENOVEO performs chemical oxidation laboratory assays to identify the most effective oxidants and to determine the amount of oxidant to be injected on site. These methods are designed for organic pollutants and are applied for the treatment of groundwater and unsaturated soil.

Oxidation is a chemical reaction, where the pollutant loses one or more electrons. The selection of the oxidant type depends on the site characteristics (geology, hydrogeology, geochemistry…) and the nature of the pollution and/or plume. ENOVEO proposes the development of pilots for testing different types of oxidants to be potentially injected such as potassium permanganate, sodium persulfate, hydrogen peroxide or Fenton reagent or gaseous oxidants such as ozone.

Our tests include the characterization of the Soil Oxidant Demand (SOD) in order to assess the amount of oxidant required to oxidize the organic matter present in the soil.

In batch or under dynamic conditions (columns), oxidation tests are performed using matrices sampled on site with different concentrations of oxidant. Determination of the amount of oxidant required to oxidize the pollutants present, while taking into consideration the SOD measurements, is used to choose the oxidant and design the process to implement at the site.

Examples of pollutants for which we have performed chemical oxidation tests:

• Chlorinated solvents, BTEX, polar solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons…