Reductive dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by ultrasound-assisted chemical process (UACP)

The dechlorination of aqueous polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) using the ultrasound-assisted chemical process (UACP), which is a combination of ultrasonic irradiation and radical generations using di-tert-butyl peroxide as a radical initiator and ferrous ion as a catalyst at moderate temperature in alkaline 2-propanol, was demonstrated with a high reduction of PCBs. A commercial PCB-containing compound, Aroclor 1260, was also decomposed with the removal efficiency of 97 % achieved within 3 h of UACP. The gas chromatograph was used as a quantitative method to measure the decomposition rate of PCBs. The competitive elimination among the ortho (2-position), meta (3-position), and para (4-position) chlorine atoms of PCB was also identified.