Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Surfactant Enhanced Mobilization of Mineral Oil within Porous Media

  • Published:
Water, Air, and Soil Pollution Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The remediation of non-aqueous phase liquids(NAPL) using conventional aquifer treatment technologies islimited by the low solubility of NAPL. Surfactants can promotethe enhanced removal of NAPL through mobilization, a mechanismthat relies on the reduction of interfacial tension (IFT) at theflushing solution / NAPL interface. The conditions governingmobilization can be represented by the total trapping number(NT), a dimensionless quantity relating viscous and buoyancyforces to the capillary forces trapping the NAPL residual. Column studies were conducted with dilute Triton X-100 solutionsdelivered through Ottawa sand spiked with light white mineraloil. At the higher flow rate, the surfactant solutions yieldedNT values greater than the critical NT necessary toinitiate mobilization, thereby promoting greater NAPL recovery asIFT dropped. While the critical NT was not surpassed at thelower flow rate, variations in mineral oil recovery duringflushing clearly indicate a surfactant effect. The surfactant-induced enhancement and retardation of NAPL removal at the lowerflow rate both highlight the limitations of the NT approach. For systems where free product NAPL is present, the totaltrapping number approach requires further refinement to defineits applicability as an indicator for NAPL mobilization.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abdul, A. S et al.: 1990, 'Selection of surfactants for the removal of petroleum products from shallow sandy aquifers', Ground Water 28(6), 920–926.

    Google Scholar 

  • Adeel, Z. and Luthy, R. G.: 1995, 'Sorption and transport kinetics of a nonionic surfactant through an aquifer sediment', Environ. Sci. Technol. 29(4), 1032–1042.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bedient, P. B. et al.: 1994, Ground Water Contamination: Transport and Remediation, PTR Prentice-Hall Inc., New Jersey.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dawson, H. E. and P. V. Roberts: 1997, 'Influence of viscous, gravitational, and capillary forces on DNAPL saturation', Ground Water 35(3), 261–270.

    Google Scholar 

  • French, T. R.: 1988, 'Use of Crude Oil Emulsions to Improve Profiles', in D. Smith (ed.), Surfactant-Based Mobility Control, American Chemical Society, Washington D. C., USA, 405.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martel, R. and Gélinas, P. J.: 1996, 'Surfactant solutions developed for NAPL recovery in contaminated aquifers', Ground Water 34(1), 143–154.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morrow, N. R. et al.: 1988, 'Entrapment and mobilization of residual oil in Bead Packs', SPERE, 927–934.

  • Morrow, N. R. and B. Songkran: 1981, 'Effect of Viscous and Buoyancy forces on Nonwetting Phase Trapping in Porous Media', in D. O. Shah (ed.), Surface Phenomena in Enhanced Oil Recovery, Plenum Press, New York, 387–411.

    Google Scholar 

  • Okuda, I. et al.: 1996, 'Physicochemical transport processes affecting the removal of residual DNAPL by nonionic surfactant solutions', Environ. Sci. Technol. 30(6), 1852–1860.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oliviera, I. B. et al.: 1996, 'Packing of sands for the production of homogeneous porous media', J. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. 60, 49–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ouyang, Y. et al.: 1995, 'Flow of gasoline-in-water microemulsion through water-saturated soil columns', Ground Water 33(3), 399–406.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patel, K. and M. Greaves: 1987, 'Role of capillary and viscous forces in mobilization of residual oil', Can. J. Chem. Engin. 65, 676–679.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pennell, K. D. et al.: 1993, 'Surfactant-enhanced solubilization of residual dodecane in soil columns', Environ. Sci. Technol. 27(12), 2332–2351.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pennell, K. D. et al.: 1996, 'Influence of viscous and buoyancy forces on the mobilization of residual tetrachloroethylene during surfactant flushing', Environ. Sci. Technol. 30 (4),1328–1335.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yeom, I., T. et al.: 1996, 'Kinetic aspects of surfactant solubilization of soil-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons', Environ. Sci. Technol. 30(5), 1589–1595.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Public Works Department, Westmount Borough, City of Montreal, PQ, Canada, H3Z 2L2

    A. R. Duffield

  2. Dept. of Bldg., Civil, and Environ. Eng., Concordia University, Montreal, PQ, Canada, H3Z 1M8; (author for correspondance

    R. S. Ramamurthy

  3. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Akron, OH, USA, 44305

    J. R. Campanelli

Authors
  1. A. R. Duffield
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. R. S. Ramamurthy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. R. Campanelli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to R. S. Ramamurthy.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Duffield, A.R., Ramamurthy, R.S. & Campanelli, J.R. Surfactant Enhanced Mobilization of Mineral Oil within Porous Media. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 143, 111–122 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022829204883

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022829204883

Search

Navigation