Surfactants environmental remediation

Ko SL, Schlautman MA, Carraway ER. (1999). Partitioning of hydrophobic organic compounds to hydroxypropyl-P-cyclodextrin Experimental studies and model predictions for surfactant-enhanced remediation applications. Environmental Science and Technology 33(16) 2765-2770. 

Dr. Miller s research interests center on equilibrium and dynamic phenomena in oil/water/surfactant systems, specifically interfacial stability and behavior of emulsions, microemulsions and foams and their application in areas such as detergency, enhanced oil recovery and environmental remediation. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and a member of the American Chemical Society, American Oil Chemists Society, International Association of Colloid and Interface Scientists, and the Society of Petroleum Engineers. He has published numerous research papers and review articles on interfadal phenomena, served on the editorial boards of leading journals in the field, and given invited lectures at conferences, universities and industrial laboratories in many countries. 

For enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and environmental remediation, an important property of any surfactant is its critical microemulsion concentration, or CfiC, because this is the minimum surfactant concentration needed to achieve ultralow interfacial tensions (<0.1 mN/m) [37, 38]. Recently, it has been determined that for rhamnolipids with a CMC of 10 mg/1, the C/rC is close to 100 mg/1 [39], which is approximately 10 times lower than the C/rC of anionic surfactants [38]. The study of the C/rC for rhamnolipids and other biosurfactants obtained from waste sources has not been performed yet. The work of Nguyen et al. [39] on the formulation of microemulsions with rhamnolipids also suggests that they are relatively hydrophilic (i.e. tend to form micelles but not reverse micelles), and that it is best to use them in combination with other surfactants. 

Abstract Broad principles of Solid-Liquid calorimetry together with some illustrative examples of its use in the field of catalysis are presented here. The first use is related to the determination of surface properties of catalysts, adsorbents and solid materials in contact with liquids. In particular, it is shown how to evaluate the capacity of a given solid to establish different types of interaction with its liquid environment or to calculate its specific surface area accessible to liquids. The second use includes the measurement of the heat effects accompanying catalytic reactions and the related interfacial phenomena at Solid-Liquid and Liquid-Liquid interfaces. Examples of competitive ion adsorption from dilute aqueous solutions, as well as the formation of surfactant aggregates either in aqueous solution or at the Solid-Liquid interface are considered in view of potential applications in Environmental Remediation and Micellar Catalysis. 

This technology, along with similar technologies such as surfactant flushing, was originally developed in the petroleum industry to improve hydrocarbon recovery. Its use in environmental apphcations such as aquifer remediation is relatively new, with most laboratory and field trials having been carried out during the past 8 years. 

West, C. C. Harwell, J. H. (1992). Surfactants and subsurface remediation. Environmental Science Technology, 26, 2324-30. 

EPA. (1995). In situ remediation technology status report surfactant enhancements. EPA542-K-94-003, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, Washington, DC. 

Bettahar, M., Schafer, G., and Baviere, M. (1999), An Optimized Surfactant Formulation for the Remediation of Diesel Oil Polluted Sandy Aquifers, Environmental Science and Technology, 33, 1269-1273... 

Rouse, J. D., Sabatini, D. A., and Harwell, J. H. (1993). Minimizing Surfactant Losses Using Twin Head Anionic Surfactants in Subsurface Remediation. Environmental Science and Technology, 27, 2072-2078. 

This book covers the following topics in surfactant-enhanced soil flushing application to remedial action, selection criteria, Implementation, economics, mathematical modeling of surfactant flushing, case studies, regulatory aspects, health and environmental considerations. 

Six surfactants/cosolvents were selected for the evaluation program on the basis of (a) solution chemistry, (b) proven ability to desorb/solubilize PAHs from soil particle surfaces in previous studies, (c) human health and environmental protection, and (d) compatibility with in situ electrochemical remediation technique. The chosen surfactants/cosolvents were (a) 3% Igepal CA-720, (b) 5% Igepal CA-720, (c) 5% Triton X-100, (d) 3% Tween 80, (e) 40% ethanol, and (f) a mixture of 40% ethanol and 5% Igepal CA-720. Two clayey soils, kaolin and glacial till, were selected for the study. Kaolin consists mainly of kaoUnite clay mineral, while glacial till consists of a combination of different soil minerals including quartz, feldspar, carbonates, iUite, chlorite, vermiculite, and trace amounts of smectite. 

Mattson ED, Bowman RS, Lindgren ER. (2000). Electrokinetic remediation using surfactant-coated ceramic casings. ASCE Journal of Environmental Engineering 126(6) 534-540. 

Saichek RE, Reddy KR (2005b). Surfactant-enhanced electrokinetic remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in heterogeneous subsurface environments. Journal of Environmental Engineering Science 4(5) 327-339. 

Taha MR, Gale RJ, Zappi ME. (1994). Surfactant enhanced electrokinetic remediation of NAPLs in soils. First International Congress on Environmental Geotechnics, July 10-15, 1994, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Richmond, Canada BiTech Pubhshers, pp. 313-317. 

Kim J, Lee K. (1999). Effects of electric field directions on surfactant enhanced electrokinetic remediation of diesel-contaminated sand column. Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A 34 863-877. 

Removal of traces of organics from aqueous solutions Separation of organic solvent from water containing 0.1%-0.2% styrene, toluene, chloroform, butyl acetate, diethyl ether Separation methods for environmental technologies Removal of tetrachloroethylene from surfactant-based soil remediation fluid 1-Methoxy propanol and water... 

In petroleum recovery [3J] and environmental soil remediation processes [158, 159], surfactant adsorption from solution onto solid surfaces most commonly occurs in porous media, either on the walls of pores or throats or else on fine particles in rock pores. This adsorption constitutes a loss of... 

---