Clean‐up of polluted wet soils by solvent extraction

Abstract

Abstract Present study describes a process for soil clean‐up that, using a mixture of ethyl acetate and acetone, can treat wet soils without any pretreatment. According to a proprietary method, solvent mixture composition is chosen in relation to soil water content, in order to promote the formation of a dispersed slurry where soil‐solvent contact is greatly enhanced. Bench scale treatment was carried out on soils coming from three different industrial sites and contaminated with chloro‐organic compounds, included polychlorobiphenyls (PCB), and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PNA). Treatment process scheme depended on soil texture characteristics and soil‐solvent separation represented a decisive factor; solvent mixture demonstrated high extraction efficiencies and rates in all examined cases. Cost estimate for a 5 t/h plant is about 200 $ per ton of treated soil.