The Effect of Surfactant Concentration on Crude Oil Removal from Contaminated Soil

Abstract

The extraction efficiencies of three non-ionic surfactants; Tween 80, Brij 35 and Triton X-100 at different concentrations of 0.1- 0.5% w/v were investigated. It was observed that for the three surfactants examined, the bulk oil removal increased with increasing surfactant concentration. The results of the investigation also revealed that Brij 35 was effective in the removal of aliphatics while low concentration of Tween 80 did not favour the removal of aromatic hydrocarbons. Triton X-100 seems to be the best amongst the surfactants investigated considering its capability for removing both aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons at relatively low concentrations. Concentration of 0.5% w/v for all the surfactants generally produced an appreciable increase in bulk oil removal, aliphatic and aromatic fractions. These results will provide a guideline for evaluating and selecting non-ionic surfactants for the remediation of crude oil contaminated soil