Enhanced organic contaminant sorption on soil treated with cationic surfactants
- Univ. of Waterloo, Ontario (Canada). Dept. of Earth Sciences
- Armstrong Lab., Tyndall AFB, FL (United States). Environics Directorate
Batch sorption and column transport laboratory experiments were performed to investigate the use of cationic surfactants to enhance sorption of dissolved organic contaminants in aquifer material with low organic carbon content. The experiments used sand from the Borden aquifer in Ontario, Canada, treated with hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA{sup +}) surfactant. Test results indicate that organic cations are strongly adsorbed by cation exchange reactions on the solid surface. Further adsorption occurs in admicelles, which form by hydrophobic interactions between adsorbed and mobile HDTMA{sup +} monomers. The nonlinear adsorption isotherm may be described by Langmuir adsorption theory. The retardation factor for HDTMA{sup +} on Borden aquifer material is approximately 460 when aqueous surfactant concentrations are less than 100 mg/l, while HDTMA{sup +} is relatively mobile at higher concentrations. Adsorbed HDTMA{sup +} mass increased f{sub oc} from 0.02 wt% on natural Borden aquifer material to 0.18 wt% on the treated sediments. Organic matter derived from the adsorbed HDTMA{sup +} is an effective partitioning medium for dissolved HOC, and results indicate that it may sorb HOC more efficiently than natural f{sub oc} on a unit weight basis. Batch sorption tests showed that sorption coefficients (K{sub d}) for trichloroethylene (TCE), perchloroethylene (PCE), and 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (TCB) were 13 times higher on HDTMA{sup +} treated Borden aquifer material compared to the natural sediments.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 260488
- Journal Information:
- Ground Water, Journal Name: Ground Water Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 34; ISSN GRWAAP; ISSN 0017-467X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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