Remediation of contaminated media using a jet pump: Part 2. Remediation dynamics of significant parameters in the jet pump remediation process

The jet pump scrubber is an effective process for the remediation of contaminated sediments. Experiments to investigate the effects of the initial contaminant concentration and number of passes on the efficiency of the jet pump scrubber have been conducted. Additionally, experiments with Alba crude oil and a thin mineral oil were undertaken to identify the effects of extreme contaminants on the remediation efficiency. For all experiments, washed oven dried silica sand was contaminated with either Alba crude or one of three different types of mineral oil. Experiments were conducted with media contaminated at six different concentrations, ranging from 50,000 to 500 mg/kg and subjected to multiple passes through the jet pump scrubber. Samples were analysed using an ultrasonic extraction and spectrophotometric method. Removal percentages of 98 ± 0.1% and 93 ± 0.9% were achieved for mineral oil and Alba crude oil, respectively. Alba crude oil was found to be considerably more difficult to remediate than the mineral oil. A threshold value of 220 ± 25 mg/kg, below which the jet pump scrubber could not remediate, was identified for mineral oil contaminated samples.