Alkyl nitrates (R-O-NO<sub>2</sub>) are industrial compounds utilized as propellants, explosives, in the synthesis of drugs and perfumes, and can also be produced from the burning of fossil fuels. While extensive research has been done on the atmospheric chemistry of these nitrates, little is known about their chemistry in aqueous systems. Previous studies have also revealed the presence of short chain alkyl nitrates in several different aqueous systems such as in tap, surface, and run-off waters. This contamination is of increasing concern to not only our atmosphere, but also for our water and soil systems as well. As such, active removal of these compounds from our water systems may become necessary. Our focus was to investigate the use of an alternative remediation approach-advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for the quantitative removal of these alkyl nitrates from wastewater in support of direct potable reuse initiatives. AOPs utilize the generation of highly reactive radicals within the water, specifically the hydroxyl radical (●OH), which are powerful oxidizers that can quickly destroy dissolved contaminants. In this study we have determined the ●OH rate constants for a small library of low-molecular-weight alkyl nitrates, to establish reactivity trends and mechanisms. These data can be applied to the large-scale wastewater treatment facility AOP systems in order to assess the efficiency of using these technologies for the quantitative removal of alkyl nitrates from wastewaters.

Quantitative removal of alkyl nitrate contaminants from wastewaters using AOP’s

251st National Meeting (2016)

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