This is an award to support research on a concept for improving the rate at which petroleum hydrocarbons with a high-carbon content, can be removed from soil that has been contaminated by leakage from underground storage tanks. The investigator plans on evaluating anionic surfactants that have an enhanced affinity for the target hydrocarbons because of their chemical structure, and comparing their performance in this respect with cationic and nonionic surfactants. The investigator plans to includes the evaluation of surfactants with the use of micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration, a surfactant-based separation process for treatment of the wash water after it has been circulated through the contaminated soil. This process in combination with the appropriate anionic surfactant has the potential of providing for recovery of the surfactant for reuse in the soil-decontamination process. This proposal was submitted in response to Program Announcement NSF 88-99, Research Initiation Awards. Results are expected to improve the engineering design of chemical remediation systems that are used to remove petroleum hydrocarbons from soil that has been contaminated by leakage of petroleum hydrocarbons from storage tanks.
