Environmental context. Electrochemistry offers potential applications for environmental remediation. Pentachlorophenol, a highly toxic and recalcitrant halogenated compound, is degraded by a novel oxidant produced electrochemically, and the intermediates and products of the degradation are investigated. Cyclic remediation systems merit further study.

Environmental context. It is practicable to remediate chlorobenzene-contaminated groundwater by in situ chemical oxidation. This study shows highly efficient degradation of chlorobenzene by an Fe-based process in a wide range of pH values. The technology is feasible for the removal of chlorobenzene from aqueous solutions and is appropriate for remediation of groundwater.

Environmental context. Chlorinated chemicals are priority contaminants that pose significant risk to human health, and require state-of-the-art sampling techniques for varying matrices. A soil-gas sampling method was developed for the quantification of vapours of trichloroethene, a major chlorinated contaminant, present just above the groundwater zone. The method addresses sampling times, volumes and low-level trichloroethene concentrations.

Environmental context Fulvic acids are important naturally occurring organic materials, but unravelling their complex structures remains challenging. This paper suggests chemical analyses to facilitate structural studies of fulvic acids, and to investigate the similarities and differences of fulvic acids from various natural sources.

Environmental context. Redox potential is a controlling variable in aquatic chemistry. Through time series data, we show that microbial exudates released by bacteria may control trends in redox potential observed in natural waters. In particular, electron transfer between these exudates and the electrode could explain the values measured in the presence of abundant oxidants such as oxygen and nitrate.