Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 2
Encapsulation of Potassium Permanganate
Oxidant in Biodegradable Polymers to Develop
a Novel Form of Controlled-Release
Remediation
Stephanie Luster-Teasley, Patrick Onochie, and Vestel Shirley
Abstract
This research seeks to develop controlled release biodegradable polymers
that release chemical oxidants at controlled or sustained rates to extend the longevity
of treatments for water and soil. The present work explores the ability to encapsu-
late chemical oxidants in biodegradable polymers for environmental remediation.
Several polymer/oxidant formulations were tested by combining hydrophobic and
hydrophilic polymers to create pellets with various release rates for potassium
permanganate. Potassium permanganate is a crystalline chemical oxidant that is
currently dissolved in water for use in drinking water treatment and in the remedia-
tion of chlorinated solvents. Prototype pellet structures ranging in 0.3-0.5 mm size
were produced. The pellets were capable of slowly releasing potassium perman-
ganate over a 44-47 day period of testing. This technology provides the potential
for new methods for chemical remediation using biodegradable polymers includ-
ing creation of subsurface permeable reactive barriers, wells packed with oxidation
pellets, or reactors filled with pellets for pump and treat systems. This paper will
summarize the development of this technology, release rate studies, and preliminary
remediation studies for trichloroethylene using the controlled release prototypes.
Keywords
Potassium permangante
·
Encapsulation
·
Biodegradable polymers
2.1 Introduction
Controlled release (CR) methods to deliver drugs and chemicals are increasingly
being employed for various fields such as surgery, pharmacology, and agriculture
[1-8]. Examples of CR designs in the pharmaceutical industry include small non-
toxic devices implanted under the skin and biodegradable CR polymers implanted
