Photocatalytic Soil Decontamination

A photocatalytic treatment is evaluated for the decontamination of soils containing 2-chlorophenol, 2,7-dichlorodibenzodioxin and atrazine. In the laboratory the contaminated soils were mixed with a photocatalyst (TiO2) in a aqueous slurry (up to 60 g L-1 of solid mixture) and exposed to simulated solar radiation. The organic contaminants were destroyed in relatively short time. On this basis photocatalytic processes could be effective chemical detoxification methods for contaminated soils.