Application of various methods for removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from synthetic solid matrices.

In the present study, removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from synthetic solid matrices with various methods was investigated. PAH removal experiments were conducted in a specifically designed UV apparatus for this study. Polyurethane foams (PUF) cartridges were used to remove PAHs from the incoming air and to capture PAHs from the evaporated gases. Sodium sulphate (Na2SO4) was used as a synthetic solid matrices. The effects of temperature, UV radiation, titanium dioxide (TiO2) and diethylamine (DEA) dose on the PAH removal were determined. TiO2and DEA were added to the Na2SO4 sample at the rate of 5% and 20% of dry weight of samples. PAHs' removal from the Na2SO4 enhanced with increasing temperature. Sigma12 PAH content in the Na2SO4 reduced up to 95% during UV light application. Moreover, the Sigma12 PAH removal ratio was calculated as 95% with using 5% of TiO2, and increasing of TiO2 dose negatively affected PAH removal. PAH concentration in the samples decreased by 93% and 99% with addition of 5% and 20% DEA, respectively. Especially, 3- and 4-ring PAH compounds evaporated during the PAH removal applications. As expected, evaporation mechanism became more effective at high temperature for light PAH compounds. It was concluded that PAHs can successfully be removed from synthetic solid matrices such as Na2 SO4 with the applications of UV light and UV-photocatalysts.