Soil Remediation

Persulfates are a wide used active component for the remediation of chemically contaminated soils, particularly for the ISCO-method (in-situ chemical oxidization). Here, an aqueous solution of persulfate is selectively introduced into the affected zones in the soil to decompose present contaminations in-situ. Thus, ISCO is an optimal method for the destruction of contaminants of high local concentrations. Originally developed in North America, ISCO also evolved to become one of the leading methods in Europe.

Persulfates yield a higher oxidative power than most other remediation agents in use. Their main decomposition product is sulfate, which can be regarded as least problematic from a toxicological point of view. Consequently, persulfates are ideal for the treatment of a wide spectrum of chemical contaminants that can be decomposed by means of oxidization. Examples are solvents based on aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, halogenated alkanes and alkenes, low-molecular PAH, BTX, mineral oil residues, pesticides and many more.

Synergies in combination with persulfates also exist in combination with other commonly applied remediation techniques, such as based on tensides and potassium permanganate. In contrary to the latter one, application of persulfates will not lead to an increase of the heavy metal content of the soil after treatment. United Initiators are producing all persulfate types relevant for soil remediation in the required high quality and purity.