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Treatment Technologies
For1,4-Dioxane: 542F07009
Fundamentals And Field Applications
FACT SHEET AND ORDER INFORMATION
In December 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's (EPA) Office of Superfund Remediation and
Technology Innovation (OSRTI) published a report
titled, "Treatment Technologies for 1,4-Dioxane:
Fundamentals and Field Applications". 1,4-Dioxane
(synonym: dioxane) is a synthetic industrial chemical
frequently found at contaminated sites where 1,1,1-
trichloroethane was used for degreasing. The
report provides information about the chemistry of
dioxane; cleanup goals; analytical methods; available
treatment technologies; and site-specific treatment
performance data. This information may be useful to
project managers, technology providers, consulting
engineers, and members of academia faced with
addressing dioxane at cleanup sites or in drinking
water supplies. This fact sheet provides a synopsis of
the report and ordering information.
Dioxane is used as a solvent in paints and lacquers
and in organic chemical manufacturing. It was used in
the past primarily as a stabilizer and corrosion inhibitor
in solvents such as 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA).
Dioxane is a cyclic ether with a chemical formula of
C4H802.
It is hydrophilic and
fully miscible in water.
Because of its miscibility
and low octanol-water
partition coefficient,
dioxane can migrate
farther in groundwater
than its associated
solvent plume.
In addition, its
low Henry's
Law constant
prevents it from
volatilizing from
the dissolved
to the vapor
phase. Such properties
make treatment of dioxane
in environmental media a challenge.
Groundwater investigations at solvent release sites
did not typically include 1,4-dioxane as a target
analyte in the past because it was not detectable at
low concentrations in a standard laboratory scan
for volatile organic compounds. Due to improved
analytical methods, however, dioxane is now being
detected at lower concentrations than in the past.
EPA and the International Agency for Research
on Cancer have classified dioxane as a Group B2
(probable human) carcinogen. However its toxicity
is currently being reevaluated. A federal drinking
water standard has not yet been established for
dioxane. Several EPA regions and states have set
screening levels for dioxane based on carcinogenic
risk.* However, even though a legal or regulatory
enforcement level is absent in all states except
Colorado, dioxane can be subject to regulation
through cleanup requirements.
The report covers three technologies that are used
to treat dioxane at the pilot and full scale levels:
ex situ advanced oxidation process (AOP), carbon
adsorption, and bioremediation. Performance data
from site-specific applications of each of these
technologies are available in the report. A total of 15
projects were identified where dioxane was treated in
groundwater.
Twelve of the 15 identified projects used AOPs. In an
advanced oxidation process, hydroxyl radicals, which
are powerful oxidizers, sequentially oxidize organic
contaminants to carbon dioxide, water, and residual
chloride. The twelve AOP projects identified in the
report used either hydrogen peroxide with ultraviolet
light or hydrogen peroxide with ozone.
The report includes information on additional
treatment technologies. At one identified site,
adsorption using granular activated carbon (GAC) was
found to remove dioxane, despite expectations based
on the properties of the contaminant. The report also
includes information on the use of phytoremediation
and bioremediation for dioxane removal.
Ordering Information
A PDF version of this report is available at
http://clu-in.org/542R06009.
Contact
If you have any questions or comments on this fact
sheet, please contact Martha Otto, EPA OSRTI, at
(703) 603-8853 or otto.martha@epa.gov.
* In September 2004, Colorado became the first state to establish an enforceable standard for dioxane in groundwater and surface water.
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Treatment Technologies
For 1,4-Dioxane:
Fundamentals And Field Applications
FACT SHEET AND ORDER INF<
Order Form
To order Treatment Technologies for 1,4-Dioxane: Fundamentals and Field Applica,
please call 1-800-490-9198, or complete this form and mail or fax it to:
EPA/National Service Center for Environmental Publications
P.O. Box 4241 9
Cincinnati, OH 45242-2419
Fax: (301) 604-3408
Name
DRMATION
ions (EPA 542-R-06-009)
Company
Address
City/State/Zip
Phone Fax E-mail
Order on-line at
or download free copies from
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