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Abstract
The treatment of fluorene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) adsorbed on filter paper by a corona discharge (9–14kV) applied during 15–150 min in a controlled humid atmosphere leads to the progressive formation of an oxidation product, fluorenone. A kinetic study of the fluorene oxidation shows that this reaction follows an apparent first order relationship, with a half-lifetime of 2330s for a 60 μA discharge current intensity. The important role of the “electrical wind” (speed: about 10 m/s) in the kinetic phenomena occurring under the corona discharge is discussed. The effects of the discharge current intensity (30–90 μA) and deposited fluorene amount (50 nmol–5 μmol) on the efficiency of fluorenone recovery are investigated. The corona discharge method looks promising for reducing the PAH impact in the environment.