Application of Combined Chemical Oxidation and Microwave Treatment for Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soil from an Urban Oil Spill Site

Abstract

This study will evaluate the feasibility of treating diesel contaminated soil excavated from a metro rail construction site in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentration present in the soil varies in the range of 12,900–13,550 mg/kg, which is higher than the permissible limits. The combined chemical oxidation and microwave (MW) heating techniques will be evaluated for the decontamination of the soil. The effects of different parameters, such as dosage of oxidizing agents, MW power, and treatment time on the removal of TPH will be optimized. Under optimized conditions of 450 W power and 60 min, a combination of MW and hydrogen peroxide [H2O2 (2.5 wt%)] showed an improvement in TPH degradation efficiencies by 23.82%, 17.36%, and 20.89% for three different soils compared with MW heating alone. The soil samples will be analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GS-MS) for fingerprinting and to assess the reduction (%) in C11 to C25 hydrocarbon levels. The results from this study could be used to design and scale-up the technology for remediation of the contaminated site.