Search Result
Technology Innovation News Survey Feed (RSS)
REMEDIATION OF HEAVY HYDROCARBON IMPACTED SOIL USING BIOPOLYMER AND POLYSTYRENE FOAM BEADS
Wilton, N., B.A. Lyon-Marion, R. Kamath, K. McVey, K.D. Pennell, and A. Robbat Jr.
Journal of Hazardous Materials 349:153-159(2018)
A two-phase recovery system for the remediation of heavy hydrocarbon impacted soils relies on (1) a plant-based biopolymer that releases hydrocarbons from soil and (2) polystyrene foam beads that recover them from solids and water. The efficiency of the process was demonstrated by comparisons with control experiments, where water, biopolymer, or beads alone yielded TPH reductions of 25%, 52%, and 58%, respectively, compared to 94% when 1.25 mL of 1% biopolymer and 15 mg beads per gram of soil were agitated for 30 min. Reductions in TPH content were substantial regardless of soil fraction, with removals of 97%, 91%, and 75% from sand, silt, and clay size fractions, respectively. Treatment efficiency was independent of carbon number (C13 to C43) as demonstrated by reductions in both diesel fuel (C13-C28) and residual-range organics (C25-C43) of ~90%. The remediation process is both efficient and sustainable because the reusable biopolymer is sourced from renewable crops, and the polystyrene beads are obtained from recycled materials. Additional background on this technology is available in N. Wilton's dissertation at https://dl.tufts.edu/catalog/tufts:22468
Journal of Hazardous Materials 349:153-159(2018)
A two-phase recovery system for the remediation of heavy hydrocarbon impacted soils relies on (1) a plant-based biopolymer that releases hydrocarbons from soil and (2) polystyrene foam beads that recover them from solids and water. The efficiency of the process was demonstrated by comparisons with control experiments, where water, biopolymer, or beads alone yielded TPH reductions of 25%, 52%, and 58%, respectively, compared to 94% when 1.25 mL of 1% biopolymer and 15 mg beads per gram of soil were agitated for 30 min. Reductions in TPH content were substantial regardless of soil fraction, with removals of 97%, 91%, and 75% from sand, silt, and clay size fractions, respectively. Treatment efficiency was independent of carbon number (C13 to C43) as demonstrated by reductions in both diesel fuel (C13-C28) and residual-range organics (C25-C43) of ~90%. The remediation process is both efficient and sustainable because the reusable biopolymer is sourced from renewable crops, and the polystyrene beads are obtained from recycled materials. Additional background on this technology is available in N. Wilton's dissertation at https://dl.tufts.edu/catalog/tufts:22468
The Technology Innovation News Survey welcomes your comments and
suggestions, as well as information about errors for correction. Please
contact Michael Adam of the U.S. EPA Office of Superfund Remediation
and Technology Innovation at adam.michael@epa.gov or (703) 603-9915
with any comments, suggestions, or corrections.
Mention of non-EPA documents, presentations, or papers does not constitute a U.S. EPA endorsement of their contents, only an acknowledgment that they exist and may be relevant to the Technology Innovation News Survey audience.
