Abstract |
Experiments were conducted to investigate the enhanced solubilization of tetrachloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE), and 1,2-dichloroethylene (DCE) in nonionic surfactant solutions of Triton X-100, Brij-30, Igepal CA-720, and Tergitol NP-10 (alkylpolyoxyethylenes). Surfactant solubilization is being considered as a means to enhance mobile phase solubilities of ground-water contaminants for the purpose of improving the efficiency of pump and treat remediation. The primary objectives of the study were to observe the solubilization of relatively hydrophilic organic solutes at system temperatures similar to ground-water conditions and to determine if solubilization can be linearly correlated to the octanol/water partition coefficient, as has been observed by others for hydrophobic organic solutes. The results of the study show that surfactant solubilization of hydrophilic solutes is highly correlated with their octanol/water partition coefficient when corrected for temperature effects. It was also observed that there appears to be little difference in solubilizing efficiency between the four surfactants. |