One of the major problems in the wastewater treatment industry is the formation of hazardous nitrogen-containing compounds, notably low-molecular-weight N,N-dimethylnitrosamine and N,N-diethylnitrosamine. While considerable work has been reported on the quantitative removal of these carcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic dialkylnitrosamines (R1R2NNO), under the oxidizing conditions of an advanced oxidation process (AOP), both thermal and radical-induced oxidation of nitrosamines will occur, producing the corresponding carcinogenic nitramine species (R1R2NNO2). Moreover, nitramines have also been used extensively in explosives, and therefore, nitramine residue is a persistent problem throughout the environment. Previously, rate constant data was reported for the reactions of the hydroxyl radical and hydrated electron with several small nitramines, which demonstrated that these reactions were fast, and efficient at destroying these compounds in water. In this work, we have now performed rate constant measurements to determine nitramine reactivity with the sulfate radical (SO4-). These data were collected using the accelerator facilities at the Radiation Laboratory, University of Notre Dame, and demonstrated that this radical could be even more effective than the hydroxyl radical in remediating nitramine-contaminated waters.

Advanced oxidation process removal of oxidized nitrosamines (nitramines) from treated wastewaters

255th National Meeting (2018)

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