Dissolution of BTEX and naphthalene from residually trapped hydrocarbons in soils and oily wastes

Conference · Wed Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1997

OSTI ID:569956

Rixey, W G; Garg, S; Nie, Y ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Houston, TX (United States)

Data are presented which show that equilibrium models can describe the dissolution behavior over a wide concentration range for model oily systems - ones for which weathering or aging in the soil or waste has not yet occurred. For two refinery oily wastes the equilibrium models predicted the dissolution behavior for a one or two decade range in leachate concentrations which may be adequate for many wastes. However, the equilibrium assumption was unreliable for low leachate concentrations and the corresponding low levels of contaminant in the waste, suggesting that for such conditions fixed-bed experiments may be needed to evaluate the long-term leaching behavior, if the asymptotic leachate levels are significantly greater than a target level (e.g., an MCL or some multiple of the MCL). Results are presented for five compounds: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, p&m-xylenes, and naphthalene (BTEXN). Good agreement between batch predictions and fixed-bed results for the initial leaching history was observed for the two crude oils and refinery residuals. It was shown how the leaching behavior can be generalized when the partition coefficients are known. Moreover, when the oil content of the oily residuals was accounted for, good agreement was observed between the partition coefficients measured for BTEXN for the crude oils and those for the oily residuals. This suggests that for screening purposes, the dissolution (leaching) behavior for an oily waste could be estimated over a modest leaching concentration range, if the oil content of the waste and the contaminant concentration in the waste are known. The approach presented here should also provide a basis for extending fixed-bed results for soluble compounds to additional, less soluble contaminants, e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), from estimated or measured partition coefficients.

• OSTI ID: 569956
• Report Number(s): CONF-971116--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
GROUND WATER
HYDROCARBONS
PETROLEUM REFINERIES
REMEDIAL ACTION
SOILS