Mechanical and Leaching Behavior of a Stabilized and Solidified Anthracene-Contaminated Soil

Abstract

This paper presents an investigation into the remediation of an anthracene-contaminated clay soil through experimental tests. Samples were prepared of uncontaminated and contaminated soil-cement with 20 and 30% cement. Unconfined compression tests (UCT) were conducted on the natural soil and on soil contaminated with anthracene. Similar tests were carried out on uncontaminated and contaminated soil-cement at various curing times. Leaching tests were also conducted on contaminated soil and contaminated soil-cement with 20 and 30% cement at various curing times by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) apparatus. The results showed that adding cement to the contaminated soil increased the strength of the soil and that the amount of increase in strength was a function of the percentage of the cement and the curing time. The results of the leaching tests on the contaminated soil showed a major reduction in the concentration of anthracene. The results also indicated that adding cement to the anthracene-contaminated soil caused a reduction in the concentration of anthracene after the leaching tests and that the amount of the reduction increased with the increase in the curing time for a given cement content (20 or 30%). Increasing the percentage of cement is an important factor in the reduction of the concentration of anthracene.