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Benzene is quite toxic. The EPA classifies benzene as a known human carcinogen for all routes of exposure. And their method leaves it buried it in the soil. I
by buildsjets 10mo ago
Benzene is quite toxic. The EPA classifies benzene as a known human carcinogen for all routes of exposure. And their method leaves it buried it in the soil. It is not a valuable industrial chemical when it is in the soil, it is a pollutant.
- zdragnar 10mo agoBenzene is toxic, but it still has industrial uses. From the article: > The reactor used by the researchers consists of an undivided electrolysis cell in which dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is used as a solvent They remove the DDT from the soil into the solvent (itself quite unpleasant). From there, it's pretty easy to filter out the soil and clean it up. Add water and boil or freeze dry to extract it back out, preferably capturing it to be reused.
- MangoToupe 10mo ago> From there, it's pretty easy to filter out the soil and clean it up. "Cleaning" soil is an interesting concept. At what point does it just become dirt? Presumably some of the nutrients will remain, but it seems like this would sterilize it. Dirt still has use, of course, but soil is expensive to produce for a reason.
- zdragnar 10mo agoWell, cleaning in this case would be removing the remaining DMSO, which is probably not too desirable to have in your soil. Considering the existing DDT contamination, ending up with dirt that needs to be fortified with compost is hardly the worst trade-off.
- MangoToupe 10mo ago> Considering the existing DDT contamination, ending up with dirt that needs to be fortified with compost is hardly the worst trade-off. I would definitely bet against this if I could. Soil is far more potent than DDT can harm.
- zdragnar 10mo agoI don't think anyone is really too concerned about DDT harming the soil itself. DDT, like organic mercury compounds, bioaccumulates up the food chain. Contaminated soil is sequestered to prevent it from contaminating insects and animals and then humans. Hence, the trade-off: DDT in the ecosystem, or killing soil and rebuilding it with compost and time.
- MangoToupe 10mo agoYou shouldn't call it "soil" after treating it like this. Maybe "processed earth" or something like that
- modo_mario 10mo agoThis all sounds like it would be many manyfold more expensive than just digging it all up, gathering it all togheter and putting it into some quarry or so that doesn't let much if any seepage happen.
- zdragnar 10mo agoI don't think it is intended to be commercially viable on the basis of benzene production alone. Rather, it is a more permanent solution compared to sequestration, where the benzene production offsets the cost. If, as they plan, it can be done on-site, that would also eliminate transporting the soil and avoiding accidentally spreading it elsewhere, which is appealing as well. Sanitary landfills (the sort that prevent seepage) are not exactly cheap either, and pose an ongoing risk in that the DDT is always there, waiting to get back out.