Strong chemical oxidant used in ISCO, supplied as sodium or potassium permanganate. Persistent in the subsurface, well suited to chlorinated ethenes (TCE, PCE, DCE), and selective enough to avoid most natural organic matter at moderate doses.
Permanganate (MnO4-) is the most widely used ISCO oxidant for chlorinated ethene source zones. It is delivered as a sodium permanganate solution (up to 40 percent) or potassium permanganate (up to 4 percent due to solubility). Reaction with TCE produces manganese dioxide, carbon dioxide, and chloride; the resulting MnO2 precipitate can clog injection wells and reduce formation permeability if doses are not managed.
Permanganate is more selective than persulfate or peroxide, so natural organic matter and reduced minerals consume less oxidant per unit contaminant destroyed. Persistence in the subsurface (weeks to months) supports diffusion into low-permeability zones, addressing back-diffusion rebound that limits faster oxidants.
Also known as: permanganate, potassium permanganate, KMnO4, sodium permanganate.
In-Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO): treatment approach
In-situ chemical oxidation: injection of a chemical oxidant — permanganate, persulfate, or Fenton's reagent — directly into contaminated soil or groundwater to destroy dissolved-phase organic contaminants without excavation.
An ex-situ soil treatment process that heats contaminated soil to volatilize and separate organic contaminants from the soil matrix, after which the liberated vapors are captured and treated, usually in a high-temperature oxidizer.
A thermal desorption configuration where the heat source contacts the soil directly inside the rotary unit, delivering high heat-transfer efficiency and supporting higher treatment temperatures.
A thermal desorption configuration where heat is conducted through the wall of the treatment vessel without combustion gases contacting the soil, producing a concentrated, lower-volume vapor stream suitable for condensation and recovery.
Treatment that heats contaminated soil and groundwater in place, typically with electrical resistance, thermal conduction, or steam injection, to volatilize and recover contaminants without excavation. Used where excavation is impractical or where the contaminant zone sits beneath active infrastructure.