SGER: Degradation of Toxaphene by Zero-Valent Iron and Modified Iron Surfaces

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This research focuses on the examination and application of modified substrates including zero-valent iron to degrade toxaphene contamination found in the environment. The chemical compound toxaphene is a pesticide that has been found to pose significant risks to both humans and the environmental ecosystem. Due to its once widespread use and its tendency to persist in the environment, this chlorinated organic mixture has become a contaminant of major concern for environmental engineers and scientists. The intellectual merits of this proposed study include the gathering of information regarding the degradation rates of toxaphene in contact with the zero-valent iron and modified iron substrates, the adsorption/partitioning coefficients of toxaphene with relation to these solid substrates, the potential pathways of toxaphene dechlorination, how modification of the substrates affect the dechlorination of toxaphene, and the potential rate limiting factors for this data. The proposed experimentation includes batch and kinetic laboratory studies and evaluation by gas chromatographic analysis. In addition, the negligible power requirements and the low cost of iron potentially make this technique very advantageous to the environmental clean-up industry. The broader impact of this study is that it would also be used to attract and broaden the diversity of those participating in such research by providing a summer research opportunity for a high school junior or senior from an underrepresented group to help work on the proposed research. The data provided by this research funded by the SGER would show the feasibility for applying this research beyond the initially explored compound, toxaphene, and potentially beyond the laboratory-based experiments for future field application.