(424a) Effects of Household Co-Solvents on the Solubility and Oxidation of Trichloroethylene (TCE)

Household co-solvents were chosen to enhance the solubility of trichloroethylene (TCE), a hazardous organic solvent, in water. Two surfactants, Tide and OxiClean, and three alcohols, methanol, ethanol and isopropanol, were selected as co-solvents and analyzed using batch systems. It was determined that isopropanol and OxiClean were the best alcohol and surfactant co-solvents, respectively. 5,300 PPM of TCE dissolved in 500,000 PPM isopropanol/water mixture and 1,600 PPM dissolved in 5,000 PPM OxiClean/water mixture. This is compared to TCE solubility in water at about 1,200 PPM. TCE was totally dissolved by 9,000 PPM of OxiClean. Ternary diagrams also displayed higher miscibility of TCE in water with less required OxiClean concentration, compared to the concentration of other co-solvents tested.

Degradation of TCE by KMnO₄ was investigated with and without co-solvents. Experiments were conducted to evaluate simultaneous solubility enhancement and degradation of TCE. While most co-solvents enhanced TCE degradation, OxiClean increased TCE degradation by increasing solubility in the mixture but it also consumed KMnO₄. The effects of OxiClean, KMnO₄, and TCE on each other were studied. Kinetic relationships between the solvents were determined and an overall rate law was established for the reaction.

These bench scale experiments provide insight into parameters that will effect pump and treat remediation methods for TCE in soil and water contamination sites.