Non-ionic surfactant flushing of pentachlorophenol from NAPL-contaminated soil

• Published in: Water research (Oxford) Vol. 39; no. 7; pp. 1388 - 1396
• Main Authors: Park, Sung-Kil, Bielefeldt, Angela R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2005; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adsorption; Applied sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; Creosote; Environment and pollution; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Non-aqueous phase liquid; Other industrial wastes. Sewage sludge; Pentachlorophenol; Pentachlorophenol - isolation & purification; Pollution; Poloxalene - chemistry; SEAR; Soil - analysis; Soil Pollutants - isolation & purification; Surface-Active Agents - chemistry; Surfactant; Waste Management - methods; Wastes; Water Movements; Water treatment and pollution; Pentachlorophenol; Non-aqueous phase liquid; Surfactant; SEAR; Sorption; Batchwise; Non ionic surfactant; Desorption; Soil pollution; Nonaqueous phase liquid; Heavy oil
• ISSN: 0043-1354; 1879-2448
• DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2005.01.009

Column studies were conducted to assess the suitability of a non-ionic surfactant Tergitol NP-10 (TNP10) for washing pentachlorophenol (PCP) from soil and non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs). Flushing of 50 and 200 pore volumes of 5 g/L TNP10 was required to exhaust the surfactant sorption capacity of the soil and soil plus NAPL, respectively. The sorption of surfactant to the soil in the columns was four times greater than the quantity previously observed in batch tests. Flushing with 5 g/L TNP10 removed 71–79% of the 200 mg/kg soil-sorbed PCP after 160 pore volumes compared to 0.7–2% PCP removal without surfactant. In columns additionally containing 0.2% and 0.4% PCP-contaminated heavy oil NAPL, the PCP removal efficiency after flushing 200 pore volumes of 5 g/L TNP10 was nearly 100%. Therefore, removal of the PCP was more efficient in the NAPL-containing columns, potentially due to competition of the NAPL for PCP sorption sites. Rate-limited desorption of PCP and TNP10 likely occurred.