Thermal desorption treatment of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soils of tundra, taiga, and forest steppe landscapes

Marina V Bykova,Alexey V Alekseenko,Carsten Drebenstedt,Mariya A Pashkevich

doi:10.1007/s10653-020-00802-0

Marina V Bykova, Alexey V Alekseenko + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-020-00802-0

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Abstract

The results of field, analytical, and experimental research at a number of production facilities reflect the properties of oil-contaminated soils in 3 landscapes: the permafrost treeless Arctic ecosystem, boreal forest, and temperate-climate grassland-woodland ecotone. Laboratory studies have revealed the concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons in soils, ranging from medium levels of 2000–3000 mg/kg to critical figures over 5000 mg/kg, being 2–25 times higher than the permissible content of oil products in soils. The experimentally applied thermal effects for the oil products desorption from the soil allowed finding an optimal regime: the treatment temperature from 25 to 250 °C reduces the concentrations to an acceptable value. The conditions are environmentally sound, given that the complete combustion point of humates is ca. 450 °C. The outcomes suggest the eco-friendly solution for soil remediation, preserving the soil fertility in fragile cold environments and in more resilient temperate climates, where revitalized brownfields are essential for food production.

Highlights

Sources of soil contamination with petroleum productsIn the modern era, petroleum hydrocarbons are applied ubiquitously, which results in a severe issue of soil contamination
Petroleum hydrocarbons are applied ubiquitously, which results in a severe issue of soil contamination
It is a known fact that soil contamination with petroleum products occurs properly during drilling and production of hydrocarbons, while, in addition to on-land plants, marine production is a serious threat to the soil due to pollution of coastal areas (Cozzarelli et al 2017; Berkadu et al 2018; Correa Pabon et al 2019)

Summary

Introduction

Sources of soil contamination with petroleum productsIn the modern era, petroleum hydrocarbons are applied ubiquitously, which results in a severe issue of soil contamination. Emergency spills and technological leaks occur throughout the entire life cycle of oil products. Soils are principally affected in three groups of technological areas: oil field development, transportation of hydrocarbons, and industrial enterprises.Please check the edit made in the article title.We confirm the edit. The production facilities of oil fields exercise a significant effect on the components of the environment and are a potential source of man-made pollution flows (Shuvalov et al 2008). It is a known fact that soil contamination with petroleum products occurs properly during drilling and production of hydrocarbons, while, in addition to on-land plants, marine production is a serious threat to the soil due to pollution of coastal areas (Cozzarelli et al 2017; Berkadu et al 2018; Correa Pabon et al 2019). Operational issues of extraction equipment are one of the most common causes of emergency spills (Clancy et al 2018)

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