Considering ever increasing treats of chemical attacks not only during regular wars, but also by terrorist organizations, decontamination and disposal of chemical agents gain increasing importance. Sulphur mustard (SM) is a chemical warfare agent that can form blisters on skin and in the lungs once exposed. Because of their high toxicity, direct handling of chemical agents is not feasible for regular laboratory investigations. Instead, simulant compounds that have similar chemical structures to those of real chemical warfare agents are often investigated. 2-chloroethylethyl sulphide (CEES) is one of the simulant compounds of sulphur mustard. For the removal of CEES, various metal oxide were studied as reactive sorbents, most notably oxides of Ca, Mg, Ti, and Zn. Recently, decomposition of CEES by zero valent iron (ZVI) and iron oxides were reported. In this study, we report on the synthesis of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (IONPs), which are in the form of magnetite (Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>), and the removal efficiency of CEES by the synthesized iron oxides. Cyclohexane was used as a solvent to dilute CEES. After dilution, the synthesized iron oxide powder was mixed and stirred in the solution to remove CEES. Concentration of CEES in the solution was measured by HPLC. Removal kinetics of CEES by IONPs will be discussed and compared with that of other metal oxides such as titania and MgO.

Removal kinetics of 2-Chloroethylethyl Sulphide (CEES) by iron oxide nanoparticles

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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