Remediation of groundwater polluted with chlorinated ethylenes by ozone-electron beam irradiation treatment.

OH radicals formed in water radiolysis may be effectively used for the oxidative decomposition of trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene contained as micropollutants in groundwater. Addition of ozone to the water before irradiation causes the reducing species of the water radiolysis to be converted into OH radicals. Moreover, this eliminates the dose rate effect observed with irradiation alone. By the ozone-electron beam treatment greater than 95% of the organic chlorine content are mineralized, only negligible amounts of organic chlorine containing by-products are formed. AMES test has shown no mutagenic activity at all.