Differences in PAH desorption and sediment organic matter composition between non-vegetated and recently vegetated fuel-oiled sediments

Efficient Separation and Recovery of Petroleum Hydrocarbon from Oily Sludge by a Combination of Adsorption and Demulsification

The treatment of oily sludge (OS) can not only effectively solve environmental pollution but also contribute to the efficient use of energy. In this study, the separation effect of OS was analyzed through sodium lignosulfonate (SL)-assisted sodium persulfate (S/D) treatment. The effects of SL concentration, pH, temperature, solid–liquid ratio, revolving speed, and time on SL adsorption solubilization were analyzed. The effects of sodium persulfate dosage, demulsification temperature, and demulsification time on sodium persulfate oxidative demulsification were analyzed. The oil removal efficiency was as high as 91.28%. The results showed that the sediment was uniformly and finely distributed in the S/D-treated OS. The contact angle of the sediment surface was 40°, and the initial apparent viscosity of the OS was 56 Pa·s. First, the saturated hydrocarbons and aromatic hydrocarbons on the sediment surface were adsorbed by the monolayer adsorption on SL. Stubborn, cohesive oil agglomerates were dissociated. Sulfate radical anion (SO₄⁻·) with a high oxidation potential, was formed from sodium persulfate. The oxidation reaction occurred between SO₄⁻· and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. A good three-phase separation effect was attained. The oil recovery reached 89.65%. This provides theoretical support for the efficient clean separation of oily sludge.

Cosolubilization synergism occurrence in codesorption of PAH mixtures during surfactant-enhanced remediation of contaminated soil

Surfactant-enhanced remediation (SER) has been widely applied in decontaminating PAH-polluted soil. Most researches focus on evaluating washing efficiency without considering pollutants' mutual interaction. This study aims to investigate cosolubilization effect between phenanthrene (Phe) and pyrene (Pyr) in nonionic surfactant Triton X-100 (TX100) solution on their codesorption performance from soil. Cosolubilization experiment showed that, when cosolubilized, solubility of Phe and Pyr in TX100 increased by 15.38% and 18.19%, respectively, as quantified by the deviation ratio of molar solubilization ratio in single and binary solute solubilization systems. The synergism may be due to the enlarged micelle volume caused by PAHs solubilized in the shell region of the micelle. The cosolubilization effect was further observed in the soil washing process. The strengthened TX100 solubilization capacity towards Phe and Pyr could increase the two PAHs' codesorption efficiency from soil, accompanied by synergistic extent of 6-15%. However, synergism in codesorption was weaker than that observed in the cosolubilization system, which may be related to surfactant loss to soil and PAH partition into soil organic matter and the sorbed surfactants. The improved remediation performance during codesorption of mixed PAHs implies the significance of combining PAHs' mutual interaction into evaluating SER, which may reduce the surfactant washing concentration and save remediation cost.