Remediation of Fuel Oil-Contaminated Soils by a Three-Stage Treatment System

Abstract

Abstract The objective of this study was to develop a three-stage treatment train system to remediate fuel oil-contaminated soils. The treatment system included the first stage of biodegradable surfactant and groundwater flushing followed by the second stage of Fenton-like oxidation. The third stage was the application of enhanced bioremediation for the removal of residual total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) after the first two treatment processes. Three different surfactants [Simple Green™ (SG), Triton X-100, and Tween 80] were evaluated in batch experiments for their feasibility on TPH removal. Results from the surfactant biodegradation and microbial enumeration study indicate that SG was more biodegradable and enhanced the microbial activity of the intrinsic micro-organisms. Thus, SG was applied in the following column experiment. Results from the column study indicate that approximately 80% of TPH in soil (with initial concentration of 50,000 mg kg−1) could be removed after the SG [50 pore volumes (PVs)...