Project
Summary:
The work is based on recently discovered by the RDIPE (IREA) scientists new effect of electroosmotic flow enhancement by the administration of complexing
agents into soil.
The objective of this research is twofold:
- to provide operating parameters for pilot scale demonstration of electrokinetic extraction of toxic organic from soil in a cost effective manner:
- to explore the possibility of use only environmentally benign reagents.
The DOE has organized a Subsurface Contaminants Focus Area to develop better methods to remediate soil contaminated with organics.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) considers the remediation of organic contaminated soil within DOE complexes to be important, as evidenced by its support
of the LASAGNA project. In that project the primary transport mechanism is electroosmosis.
Assuming that the RDIPE scientists (Moscow) are successful in identifying complexing agents, which will result in the increased electroostnotic flow,
the impact on the LASAGNA process will be of particular benefit.
ISOTRON (the USA) scientists (project collaborator) are routinely working with the technical staff from project LASAGNA.
ISOTRON's advanced electrode cylinders could also be of significant benefit to RDIPE scientists's effort.
The proposed method to enhance electroosmotic flow by use of complexants is expected to be significantly more efficient and cost effective than other in-situ
methods of soil cleanup.
It is believed that this electroosmosis process can effectively remediate hard-to-treat, low-permeability soils.
The work to be carried out in this program based on the electrokinetic processes capable of removing organic contaminants (phenol, trichloroethylene,
chlorobenzene, acetone), radionuclides (U, Sr) from soil.
Electroosmosis can be instrumental in transporting certain contaminants (electronutral and organic species) dissolved in the soil pore water to an electrode
site where they can be removed. For organics contaminated soil, when the organic compounds are undissociated and poorly adsorbed onto soil, they are transported
by electroosmotic flow. The efficiency of electroosmotic cleanup is low.
RDIPE staff together with ISOTRON scientists managed to discover the method to increase the electroosmotic flow from one to two orders of magnitude. The
priority of this fundamental invention is supported by corresponding publications and in 'Review an Reagent Enhanced Remediation technologies'.
The application of complexing agents and surfactants to enhance organic contaminant transport is to be investigated in this research.
The main tasks of this study are:
- investigate electrokinetically enhanced organics transport in soils with specific attention given to complexant and surfactants;
- identify the best complexing agents and surfactants for the process;
- evaluate scale - up possibility of electrokinetic treatment of soil based on laboratory experiments;
- pilot scale demonstration of the technology in Moscow region. The results to be realized are:
- complexant enhanced electrokinetic remediation technology to cleanup soils contaminated with toxic organics in combination with radionuclides;
- assess the impact of use of complexants and surfactants on soil properties;
- identify benign selective complexants.
The feasibility of electrokinetically enhancing the transport of organic contaminants in combinations with radionuclides in soils is to be investigated
in the proposed Project.
Development of soil additives to enhance the osmotic transport of organic substances during electrokinetic treatment of polluted soil should significantly
enhance the applicability of the technology.
Publications:
'Uranium static leaching from К - 25 soil (Oak Ridge, TN) by citric acid and complexions',
'Application of chelating compounds for rehabilitation of soil contaminated with heavy metals and nuclides',
'Influence of chelating agents on Zeta-potential of Clay soil',
'The Enhancement of Electroosmotic Flow in soils by Organic Reagents'.
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