Insights into the impacts of chloride ions on the oxidation of 2,4-dinitrotoluene using ferrous activated persulfate: Removal efficiency, reaction mechanism, transformation pathway, and toxicity assessment.

Persulfate/Fe-based advanced oxidation processes are widely used to treat water contaminated with 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT). However, the oxidation of DNT by persulfate/Fe in the presence of the chloride ion (Cl⁻) has not been addressed, and the transformation pathways and toxicities of the intermediate products remain unclear. In this study, the effect of different Cl⁻ concentrations on the oxidation of DNT was investigated by persulfate/Fe. After the addition of 1.0 mM Cl⁻ and 6 h of oxidation, the removal efficiency of DNT increased by 68.5%. Scavenging experiments and an electron spin resonance analysis suggested that Cl⁻ caused hydroxyl radicals to increase in content in the persulfate/Fe system, thus promoting the removal of DNT. Eight intermediate products of DNT were accurately detected using high-resolution mass spectrometry, and the transformation pathways of DNT were proposed, including hydroxylation/oxidation, elimination of the nitro group, and chlorination process. The acute and chronic toxicities of the intermediate products decreased during the oxidation process, but chlorinated by-products posed a higher toxicological risk. This result is vital for the practical application and environmental safety evaluation of persulfate/Fe-based advanced oxidation.