Remediation of diesel contaminated soil using chemical and biological surfactants

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty, Tarbiat Modares University

2 Civil And Environmental Engineering Faculty; Tarbiat Modares University

Abstract

Today, soil pollution by crude oil and its derivatives is of great importance, and it has become one of the serious environmental challenges in the world. This study aimed to remediate diesel-contaminated soil by enhancing the soil-washing process using chemical and biological surfactants on a laboratory scale. For this purpose, the chemical surfactants of Triton X 100, SDS, and the synthesized natural surfactant of rhamnolipid were used. During this process, which was carried out in a Plexiglas column with an approximate volume of 400 ml, the effect of parameters such as surfactant concentration, solution pH, soil texture, flow direction, and pollutant concentration as independent variables on soil treatment was investigated. In this study, the maximum total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) removal efficiency of 78% from contaminated soil (containing 10% clay and contaminated with 10,000 mg/kg diesel) was achieved after 12 hours of soil washing using a combined surfactant of TX100-SDS (mixing ratio of 80:20 and a concentration of 5 g/L) with a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min at a pH of 7.8. Although in this research, rhamnolipid had a lower removal efficiency than other surfactants, due to its biodegradability and lower toxicity compared to other chemical surfactants used, as a potentially sustainable option to achieve efficient application and better effectiveness, it requires more investigation and research.

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Amirkabir Journal of Civil Engineering

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 04 July 2024

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