Abstract
The present study determined the most effective surfactants to remediate gasoline and diesel-contaminated soil integrating information from soil texture and soil organic matter. Different ranges for aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons (> C6–C8, > C8–C10, > C10–C12, > C12–C16, > C16–C21, and > C21–C35) in gasoline and diesel fuel were analyzed. This type of analysis has been investigated infrequently. Three types of soils (silty clay, silt loam, and loamy sand) and four surfactants (non-ionic: Brij 35 and Tween 80; anionic: SDBS and SDS) were used. The results indicated that the largest hydrocarbon desorption was 56% for silty clay soil (SDS), 59% for silt loam soil (SDBS), and 69% for loamy sand soil (SDS). Soils with large amounts of small particles showed the worst desorption efficiencies. Anionic surfactants removed more hydrocarbons than non-ionic surfactants. It was notable that preferential desorption on different hydrocarbon ranges was observed since aliphatic hydrocarbons and large ranges were the most recalcitrant compounds of gasoline and diesel fuel components. Unlike soil texture, natural organic matter concentration caused minor changes in the hydrocarbon removal rates. Based on these results, this study might be useful as a tool to select the most cost-effective surfactant knowing the soil texture and the size and chemical structure of the hydrocarbons present in a contaminated site.
Highlights
Petroleum hydrocarbons, such as gasoline and diesel fuel, are massively used for transport and industry, causing accidental spills into groundwater and soil (Chattopadhyay and Karthick 2017; Dhaka and Chattopadhyay 2021)
The results provide useful information about surfactant selection based on soil texture and soil organic matter for removing hydrocarbons from polluted soils
Summarizing the main points, the hydrocarbon desorption percentage in soils indicates that soils with higher clay content show less hydrocarbon compound desorption, that is, the hydrocarbon removal efficiency decreases while the amount of small soil particles increases
Summary
Petroleum hydrocarbons, such as gasoline and diesel fuel, are massively used for transport and industry, causing accidental spills into groundwater and soil (Chattopadhyay and Karthick 2017; Dhaka and Chattopadhyay 2021). Anthropogenic organic compounds pollute a great number of soil environments with negative effects on human health and ecosystems (Karthick et al 2019a). Surfactant soil flushing is a time-efficient and versatile in situ remediation technology (Karthick et al 2019b; Mao et al 2015). Surfactant soil flushing depollutes the soil by making use of a solution that increases the mobility and solubility of petroleum hydrocarbons (Chattopadhyay and Karthick 2017). The contaminated groundwater and surfactant solution that contain contaminants are pumped to the surface through pumping wells
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