Effect of Electrokinetic Technology Integrated with Surfactants on the Chlorinated Hydrocarbons from Soil

Electrokinetic (EK) technology is advanced methods for the degradation and extraction of heavy metals and organic contaminants from saturated and unsaturated soil and groundwater. In this method, with the application of an electric field, pollutants will be migrated towards anode or cathode by electrolysis, electro-osmosis, electromigration, and electrophoresis. In this study, the behavior of perchloroethylene contaminated soils in an electrokinetic (EK) system enhanced by Triton X-100 on laboratory scale for 10 days was investigated. Electrical current and cumulative electro-osmosis and pH in anode and cathode reservoirs were measured every 24 hours during the run and perchloroethylene content was measured at the end of the experiments. According to the results, perchloroethylene is not influenced by electro-osmosis and ion migration due to low solubility, non-polar, and high adsorption to soil. However, by using the TX-100 in EK process, pollutant removal efficiency is significantly increased and perchloroethylene content of the soil is decreased by 51%.