Remediation of contaminated soils by surfactant-aided soil washing

This paper provides reviews and updates of surfactant-aided subsurface remediation. Experimental measurements were made of various systems comprising two non-ionic surfactants, five soils of different fractional organic carbon contents, and several typical hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs). Soil-washing performance was quantified using reciprocal surfactant-soil solubilization coefficients (1/Kd), and two phases of soil-washing mechanisms were identified depending on the presence of surfactant micelles. Reciprocal surfactant-soil solubilization coefficients (1/Kd), octanol-water partition coefficients (Kow), fractional organic carbon content of the soil (foc), and surfactant concentration were correlated for the soil-washing process using a proposed surfactant-aided soil-washing model.