Project 4 team’s improvements to In Situ Chemical Oxidation of organic contaminants in subsurface conditions are featured in NIEHS SRP Research Brief

Most dissolved organic contaminants readily react with sulfate radicals formed in solution during persulfate-based in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) but hydrophobic organic contaminants tend to be associated with particles in soil and groundwater. The team developed a kinetic model/formula that predicts exactly how sorption to organic matter/soil and hydrophobicity affect the success of persulfate-based ISCO remediation of nonionic organic contaminants. This predictive model serves as a practical resource for environmental engineers, allowing them to calculate the exact amount of persulfate solution required for a specific contaminated site to overcome the protective effects of the local soil composition. The findings were featured in NIEHS SRP Brief #370.

Figure 1. Graphic abstract from Salazar et al. publication.

NIEHS SRP Research Brief 370: Improving Chemical Cleanup of Contaminated Groundwater: https://tools.niehs.nih.gov/srp/researchbriefs/view.cfm?Brief_ID=370

Paper: Salazar JS*, Kim TK*, Sedlak DL. In Situ Chemical Oxidation of Nonionic Organic Contaminants: The Effect of Soil Organic Matter and Minerals on Stoichiometric Efficiency. Environ Sci Technol. 2025 Oct 14; doi: 10.1021/acs.est.5c08375. PMID: 41086057. PMCID: PMC12604645