The fate of MtBE during Fenton-like treatments through laboratory scale column tests

•The performance of a Fenton-like process for MtBE oxidation was assessed.•Lab-scale column tests with a set-up equipped with online gas sensors were performed.•An improvement of the MtBE removal was achieved by adding EDTA as chelating agent.•No by-products (e.g. TBA or TBF) were detected during the treatment.

In Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO) based on the Fenton's process is a proven technology for the treatment of groundwater contaminated by organic compounds. Nevertheless, the application of this treatment process to methyl tert-butyl ether (MtBE) is questioned, as there are concerns about its capacity to achieve complete mineralization. Many existing studies have focused on water contaminated by MtBE and are thus not representative of in situ treatments since they do not consider the presence of soil. In this work, the effectiveness of a Fenton-like process for MtBE treatment was proven in soil column tests performed at operating conditions (i.e., oxidant and contaminant concentration and flow rates) resembling those typically used for in situ applications. No MtBE by-products were detected in any of the tested conditions, thus suggesting that the tert-butyl group of MtBE was completely degraded. A mass balance based on the CO2 produced was used as evidence that most of the MtBE removed was actually mineralized. Finally, the obtained results show that preconditioning of soil with a chelating agent (EDTA) significantly enhanced MtBE oxidation.