Radiation induced dechlorination of some chlorinated hydrocarbons in aqueous suspensions of various solid particles

• The active carbon affects negatively the dechlorination of aliphatic hydrocarbons.
• The inhibition effect is connected with the adsorption of hydrocarbons.
• The CuO oxide ihibits the mineralization of the perchloroethylene.
• None of the two modifiers changes the reaction order of radiation induced dechlorination.

Radiation induced dechlorination of trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in aqueous solutions containing the active carbon (AC) or cupric oxide (CuO) as the modifiers was studied. The obtained results were compared to the previously studied dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Both modifiers were found to decrease the efficiency of dechlorination. The AC modifier acts mainly via adsorption of the aliphatic (unlike the aromatic) hydrocarbons and the CuO oxide mainly inhibits the mineralization of the perchloroethylene. The results presented in this paper will be also helpful for the studies of the impact of chlorinated hydrocarbons on the membrane permeability of living cells.