ACTIVATION OF PERSULFATE BY BIOCHAR: DOSAGE OPTIMIZATION FOR EFFECTIVE LINDANE DEGRADATION IN WATER

This study investigated the degradation of lindane (100 μg/L) using biochar derived from wood (0.2 g/L) as a catalyst for potassium persulfate (PS) activation. The experiments were conducted at different PS concentrations (0.5–9.0 mM) and pH 7.0 ± 0.2. The optimal PS dosage was 3.0 mM, achieving over 90% degradation.Further increases in PS concentration did not significantly improve degradation. The majority of the reaction takes place in the first few hours, with equilibrium reached after 4 hours. The results confirm that biochar effectively activates PS and highlight its potential for treating water contaminated with organic micropollutants.