Octachlorodibenzofuran (OCDF) is the fully chlorinated congener of the polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), a class of chemicals known to be environmental contaminants that are highly toxic, persistent, and bioaccumulative in the environment. Of the 135 congeners, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorordibenzofuran (TCDF) is the most toxic compound and it has been classified as a group 1 carcinogen according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). PCDFs are formed as byproducts of industrial activities and combustion processes. Because of the negative environmental and health effects of these compounds, it is essential to develop a safe, effective, and inexpensive method for PCDF degradation in the environment. In this study, ball-milled zero-valent magnesium (ZVMg) and acetic acid in absolute ethanol were used for OCDF degradation. This system was able to dechlorinate OCDF rapidly to less chlorinated furans within 3 minutes. Furthermore, this method was able to degrade the most toxic congener (2,3,7,8 TCDF) to low chlorinated furans (monochlorodibenzofuran and dichlorodibenzofuran) and dibenzofuran within 30 minutes. Dibenzofuran was a stable end product with no further degradation up to a one-month time period. pH variation with time, kinetics studies, and byproduct degradation pathways will be presented.

Dechlorination of octachlorodibenzofuran by zero valent magnesium in acidified ethanol system

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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