Treatment of ex-situ soil-washing fluids polluted with petroleum by anodic oxidation, photolysis, sonolysis and combined approaches

- SAWS is an efficient approach to depollute petroleum contaminated soils.
- Depollution intensification is attained by US/BDD-electrolysis and photo/BDD-electrolysis.
- Significant differences in efficiency between single and coupled treatment process.
- Oxidants activation by US/BDD-electrolysis and photo/BDD-electrolysis is attained.

In this research, the treatment of soil spiked with petroleum was studied using a surfactant-aided soil-washing (SASW) process followed by sonolysis (US), photolysis and boron doped diamond electrolysis (BDD-electrolysis) for washing liquid treatment. Results clearly demonstrate that SASW is a very efficient approach in the treatment of soil, removing completely the petrochemical compounds by using dosages about 5 g of extracting surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)) per kg of soil. The main characteristics of the effluents produced in this soil remediation technology as well as the efficiency of the treatment (US, photolysis and BDD-electrolysis) depend on the dosage of SDS. Depollution of the effluents (degradation and mineralization of the organic matter) is related to the reduction in size of micelles formed by SDS and petroleum, and it depends on the treatment used. US and photolysis were inefficient decontamination processes, while BDD-electrolysis favors the complete depletion of micelles. However, the intensification of the efficiency was attained by synergic degradation effects when UV light irradiation and US were coupled with BDD-electrolysis, US/BDD-electrolysis and photo/BDD-electrolysis, respectively. Sulfate (coming from SDS) ions play an important role during the BDD-electrolysis, US/BDD-electrolysis and photo/BDD-electrolysis because persulfate and persulfate radicals are produced (by sulfate activation applying US or photolysis), improving the efficiency of the processes.