Method for reducing organic contamination
View Patent ↗Certain exemplary embodiments provide methods for reducing a concentration of a contaminant associated with a medium, which can be any substance or material, such as soil, water, air, and/or fluid. In one exemplary method, the medium is treated with a ferric chelate and an oxidizing agent in amounts effective to oxidize at least a portion of the contaminant.
1. A method for reducing a concentration of a contaminant associated with a medium, comprising treating the medium with ferric gluconate and an oxidizing agent in amounts effective to oxidize at least a portion of the contaminant, wherein the contaminant is an organic compound having at least one aromatic functional group, wherein the oxidizing agent comprises a hydrogen peroxide, persulphate, permanganate, chlorine dioxide, halogen, or mixtures thereof, and wherein the medium is a fluid.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the medium is a fluid within a space defined at least in part by a structure selected from: tunnel, mine, well, ditch, canyon, cavern, cave, hole, corner, niche, bunker, building, compartment, room, clean room, enclosure, container, tank, pipe, equipment, ship, airplane, vehicle, automobile, and train.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the oxidizing agent is hydrogen peroxide.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said treating occurs in situ.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said treating occurs ex situ.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said treating occurs at a pH in the range of approximately 5 to approximately 8.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said treating occurs at approximately a pH of the medium.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a substantial portion of the contaminant is oxidized.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising preparing the ferric gluconate.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, to improve oxidation, adjusting an operating parameter of at least one item selected from: the ferric gluconate, the oxidizing agent, the medium, and the contaminant.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, to improve oxidation, controlling an operating parameter of at least one item selected from: the ferric gluconate, the peroxide compound, the medium, and the contaminant.
12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a reduction in the concentration of the contaminant associated with the medium.
13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising dispersing a mixture of the ferric gluconate and the oxidizing agent in a form selected from: liquid, foam, solid, gaseous, and aerosol.
14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising decontaminating the medium.
15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sanitizing the medium.
16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising killing a biological selected from a: mold, fungi, protozoa, amoeba, bacteria, virus, and prion.
17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising decomposing waste material containing at least one aliphatic or aromatic functional group.
18. The method of claim 1 , further comprising decontaminating a clean room environment.
19. The method of claim 1 , further comprising treating the medium to reduce a concentration of iron associated with the medium.
20. The method of claim 1 , further comprising repeating said treating of the medium to improve oxidation.
21. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adding an organic compound to the medium to improve said method.