Heterogeneous dehalogenation of PCBs with iron/toluene or iron/quicklime.

A flow tube reactor containing common commercial grade iron powder in a nitrogen atmosphere is capable of >99% reductive dehalogenation of organochlorides at 500 degrees C. The reactor was tested with a series of organochlorides, including various PCBs and DDT, using toluene or Ca(OH)(2), as proton donors, the latter formed from quicklime and water. The products of dehalogenation are benzene, biphenyl, hydrocarbons and metal chloride, as detected by GC/GC-MS and wet chemical analytical methods. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.