Metal-Enhanced Degradation of Halocarbons: Technology Development and Implementation

Recalcitrant by design, halogenated organic compounds represent a particularly difficult challenge with respect to cleanup of contaminated groundwater. Further to the environmental importance of these compounds, many have drinking water limits of a few micrograms per litre, and because of their widespread use as industrial solvents and degreasers, they are particularly common groundwater contaminants in industrial areas. A recent report of the U.S. National Academy of Science (NAS, 1994) indicated that there are 300,000 to 400,000 hazardous waste sites in the U.S., that up to $750 billion could be spent in remediation of these sites over the next 30 years, and that chlorinated organic compounds are the most commonly identified contaminants at these sites. While the problem is enormous in the U.S., for which statistics are most readily available, in proportion to population, the problem is undoubtedly of similar magnitude in most industrialized countries of the world.