In situ capping is an attractive and cost-effective method for remediation of contaminated sediments,but few studies on enhancing contaminant degradation in sediment caps have been reported,especially for chlorinated benzenes.Electrically enhanced bioactive barrier is a new process for in situ remediation for reducible compounds in soil or sediments.The primary objective of this study is to determine if electrodes in sediment could create a redox gradient and provide electron acceptor/donor to stimulate degradation of chlorinated contaminant.The results demonstrate that graphite electrodes lead to sustainable evolution of hydrogen,displaying zero-order kinetics in the initial stages with different voltages.The constant rates of hydrogen evolution at 3,4,and 5 V are1.05,2.54,and 4.3 nmol·L 1·d 1,respectively.Even higher voltage can produce more hydrogen,but it could not keep long time because the over potentials on electrode surfaces prevent its function.The study shows that 4 V is more appropriate for hydrogen evolution.The measured and evaluated concentration of 1,2,3,5-tetrachlorobenzene in pore water of sediment and concentration of sulfate show that dechlorination is inhibited at higher concentration of sulfate.
