Effect of cationic surfactant (CTAB) in the electrokinetic remediation of diesel-contaminated soils

Abstract

With the increase in knowledge about hydrocarbon contamination, concern over soil and groundwater contamination has grown. Hydrocarbon contaminated soil and groundwater is considered to be a leading cause for increased health risk and environmental contamination. Therefore, an efficient remediation technique needs to be developed. Surfactant flushing treatment coupled with the application of low-level electrical potential difference is a potential soil remediation technique for the removal of hydrocarbons from cla ey soils. The goals of this research were to (a) evaluate the efficiencies of electrokinetic and surfactant-enhanced electrokinetic remediation methods by determining the removal of hydrocarbons from the contaminated clay soil in the laboratory; (b) determine the factors affecting the remediation technology; (c) select an efficient extraction technique during SPME-GC-FID analysis. The vibration enhanced SPME-GC-FID method was selected to analyze the samples. Water-flushing and surfactant-flushing experiments were conducted on one-dimensional soil columns. The model diesel fuel was composed of a mixture of BTEX and three selected PAHs. The cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was used in the surfactant-flushing treatments. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)