Electrokinetic remediation of PAH mixtures from kaolin

Abstract

Because of increased industrialisation and new manufacturing processes, elevated amounts of organic pollutants are released into the environment. Hydrophobic organic contaminants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are toxic and persistent contaminants that are not treatable by natural attenuation. In this work, electroremediation is proposed for cleaning soil contaminated by organic compounds. Model samples of kaolin clay polluted with a mixture of PAHs (fluoranthene, pyrene, and benzanthracene) were treated. Electroremediation of kaolin contaminated with a mixture of these three PAHs was carried out using a solution of 1% Tween 80 and 0.1 M Na(2)SO(4) as the processing fluid. Under these conditions, low removal was obtained. However, by using the same processing fluid and controlling the pH at 7 in the anode chamber, high electro-osmotic flow was detected. After the treatment, removal of around 40% of the PAHs was achieved. The created environment inside the soil during the electrokinetic treatment greatly influenced the process. The results of this work reveal the high potential for the application of the electroremediation process on soil polluted with different PAHs.