The objective of this study was to demonstrate the regeneration of trichloroethylene (TCE) spent activated carbon using persulfate oxidation and iron activated persulfate (IAP) oxidation. Both processes resulted in decreases in the adsorbability of regenerated activated carbons. IAP was shown to rapidly degrade the aqueous TCE and causes a significant mineralization of the TCE. The release of chloride ions provided evidence of this. Persulfate oxidation mainly resulted in desorption of TCE from the activated carbon and only partial mineralization of the TCE through a carbon activated persulfate reaction mechanism. Concerning destruction of the TCE, in the regeneration test using persulfate, 30% of the original TCE was present in the solution and 9% remained on the activated carbon after the first regeneration cycle. In contrast, in the test that used IAP, it was observed that no TCE was present in the solution and only approximately 5% of the original TCE remained on the activated carbon after the first regeneration. Following the regeneration cycles, elemental analysis was carried out on the samples BET surface area and EDS analysis showed some effects on the physico-chemical properties of the activated carbon such as a slight decrease in the surface area and the presence of iron precipitates on the carbon. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.