Ultrasonic intensification of ozone and electrochemical destruction of 1,3-dinitrobenzene and 2,4-dinitrotoluene

The removal of nitroaromatics from polluted water is difficult due to their high stability to conventional treatment methods. This paper presents a method for the destruction of 1,3-dinitrobenzene and 2,4-dinitrotoluene in aqueous solutions. The compounds are shown to be stable to reaction with ozone, even under ultrasonic activation. The use of ultrasound enhances the rate of electrochemical reduction but the overall rate of reaction is still slow. However, the simultaneous application of ultrasound and ozonation to the electrochemical reaction allows virtually complete destruction of the compounds in short times. The effect is attributed to the ultrasonic enhancement of the electrochemical process giving intermediates that are susceptible to ozone oxidation. While further analytical work is needed to deduce the exact contributions of the various possible degradation mechanisms, the work demonstrates the synergies that can be gained by using combined techniques for the destruction of these difficult compounds.