Washing of soils spiked with various pollutants by surfactant solutions
- National Sun Yat-Sen Univ., Kaohsiung (Taiwan, Province of China)
In this study, the batch-type of washing with surfactant solutions was employed for the treatment of soils artificially contaminated with various volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heavy metals. 15 industrial grade surfactants were tested. Washing was conducing by adding surfactant solution to the soils and mixing for one hour, then centrifuging it and analyzing the supernatant. Deionized water was used for soil washing for comparison. Results indicated that deionized water performed as well as Surfactant No. 1 in washing VOC-contaminated soils. Therefore, it is concluded that the VOCs tested can be easily washed from soils by rain water. In washing PAH-contaminated soils, nonionic surfactants performed better than anionic surfactants in terms of removal efficiency. The amphoteric surfactant performed worst in washing PAH-contaminated soils. Generally, surfactants are useful in removing cadmium from soils, but are not useful for the removal of lead and copper. Amphoteric, anionic, and low pH cationic surfactants were the most effective of those tested. For PAH/heavy metals-contaminated soils, removal efficiencies were lower than that of soils containing a single contaminant.
- OSTI ID:
- 210220
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9509139--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Fate and transport of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil under the influence of surfactants
Surfactant-enhanced solubility and mobility of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil